The Heart of A Killer
by Nonnie
Summary: Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple’s daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret. Please R&R! I live for those wonderful emails!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – PG for now.  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
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Some days Tim Speedle really hated his job. Other days, he really, really hated his job. This was one of those days. He was standing in the middle of a beautiful, richly decorated home in Coconut Grove, photographing the dead bodies of two prominent physicians, brutally murdered in their own home. Dr. Michael Johansson lay prone on the open, winding staircase leading up to the second floor. Bullet holes peppered the doctor's toned physique. The body of his wife, Dr. Ava Bartley, was further up the staircase. The crisp ivory carpet on the stairs was stained with a mixture of the couple's blood. Their granddaughter, Mikayla, had been found upstairs in her crib, untouched, but the couple's nineteen-year old daughter Michelle, was missing.  
  
"You are just the most beautiful thing," Calleigh cooed to Mikayla, cradling the infant securely in her arms while the team waited for Social Services. "Isn't she beautiful, Tim?"  
  
Speed crossed over to Calleigh and glanced down at Mikayla. He touched the baby's curly blonde hair and she stared up at him with big sapphire blue eyes. "Yeah, she's beautiful alright. At least she's not old enough to remember any of this."  
  
"Detective Caine?" Alice Martin from Social Services was standing in the doorway. "She looks a lot like you, but I'm going to assume this is our tiniest victim." Alice smiled gently at Calleigh and took the infant from her arms. Mikayla immediately began screaming and Calleigh made an effort to retrieve her.  
  
Alice put a hand on Calleigh's arm. "It's better this way, Calleigh."  
  
"I know, Alice, but..." Calleigh reached out again for Mikayla but caught Alice's stern expression instead. "Okay, fine, but I want a daily update on how she's doing. No wait, twice a day," she insisted.  
  
Alice rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Tim. "Detective Speedle, am I clear to inspect the baby's nursery? I need to know if she has any allergies, medical conditions, that kind of thing."  
  
Tim nodded and pointed toward the back of the house. "Yeah, Alice, that's fine. Go through the kitchen - there's another staircase in the back. Nursery's the third door on the left."  
  
"Thanks," Alice answered, taking Mikayla toward the back. Tim turned around and glanced at Calleigh. She was chewing the inside of her lip and visually following Alice's every move, rocking on her heels, desperate to follow Mikayla's screams and retrieve the baby.  
  
"Cal?" Tim said gently.  
  
"I'm fine," she stated, as much for her benefit as his.  
  
Horatio stalked in with Eric hot on his heels. "I have a location on the daughter," he said forcefully, handing a computer printout to Tim. "Michelle Johansson's in Mexico."  
  
Tim studied the sheet. "Her flight left three days ago - on a one-way ticket," he sighed.  
  
"Guess she's planning to stay a while," Eric offered.  
  
Horatio glanced over at his silent wife, who was still chewing on her lip and fingering her diamond pendant nervously. "Calleigh, are you okay?"  
  
Calleigh swung around and stared blankly at her husband. "Horatio, when did you get here?"  
  
The men exchanged curious glances before Horatio spoke. "About two minutes ago, Calleigh. I'm going to ask again, are you okay?" he asked softly.  
  
Mikayla's wails were suddenly audible again and the color drained out of Calleigh's already distraught face. "I can't listen to this anymore," she cried, bringing her palm up to her forehead and pressing it there as if she could stop the screams from being permanently recorded in her brain.  
  
"Calleigh, go, I've got it," Tim assured her.  
  
Calleigh didn't miss a beat. "Okay," she answered, grabbing her kit and heading out the door.  
  
Tim held up his hand to Horatio, preventing his boss from pressing Calleigh with any more questions. Horatio nodded, but his face still bore an expression of intense concern.  
  
"What the hell was that about?" Horatio asked irritably when Calleigh was gone.  
  
Tim pointed upstairs. "The baby. Calleigh held for about an hour after we got here and I think she got a little attached," he explained.  
  
Horatio winced slightly as Mikayla's cries grew louder. "Calleigh or the baby?" he asked.  
  
"That's an excellent question," Tim responded. "Here's another one. Have we found Michelle yet?"  
  
Horatio shook his head, still grimacing from Mikayla's constant wails. "Ah, no, not yet. The flight landed in Cabo San Lucas, but she could be anywhere by now."  
  
"You act like she's a suspect," Tim said.  
  
"Everyone's a suspect, Speed, everyone's a suspect."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Tim arrived home that evening to the sound of more crying. He stepped inside the kitchen to find his wife Leanna about to tear her hair out and his son Nicholas screaming in his high chair.  
  
"Tough night?" he asked sarcastically, tossing his keys onto the baker's rack near the door.  
  
Leanna glared at him and scrubbed Nicholas' bowl with a ferocity Tim had never before witnessed out of his normally calm, cool and collected wife. "No, Tim, we're having a party," she said angrily. "Nick's not screaming - he's singing. Can't you tell?"  
  
Tim stepped over to Nicholas' high chair and sat down next to his son. Huge tears rolled from the infant's chocolate eyes, tiny replicas of his father's. Tim's heart broke as he examined Nicholas' beat red face. He turned and looked at Tim, wailing even louder as he reached out for his father. "What's wrong with him?" Tim asked, trying to hand Nicholas a bite of cookie. Nicholas pushed Tim's hand away and reached out for him again.  
  
Leanna slammed the bowl down on the counter. "I don't know, Tim," she yelled over Nicholas' cries, "if I did, don't you think I would have fixed it by now?"  
  
"Okay, okay, don't bite my head off." He took the feeding table off the high chair and unstrapped Nick. He lifted the baby onto his shoulder. "What's wrong Mini-Me?" he asked gently, rubbing circles on Nick's back.  
  
Leanna tossed a towel onto the counter and headed out of the kitchen. "If he answers you, let me know," she said sarcastically. She walked down the hall to their bedroom and slammed the door.  
  
Tim sighed heavily and picked up the cordless phone in the living room and dialed Alexx's number. She answered on the third ring. "Whoo, I'd ask who this is, but there's no mistaking that screaming," she said brightly.  
  
"Funny," Tim answered.  
  
"So, tell me what's going on," she demanded gently.  
  
"I don't know, Alexx, I think he'd already been screaming a while by the time I got here and Lea's clearly had all of it she can take." He carried the phone and his son down the hall. "Hold on, I'll get her for you." He knocked on the door and Leanna opened it, not bothering to hide the tears streaming down her face. "It's Alexx," he told her, handing the phone over.  
  
"Alexx," she sobbed, pressing a fist to her forehead. "He just started screaming all of a sudden, and I don't know what's wrong with him, and it's not like he can tell me, and nothing I did for him helped..." she rambled, shutting the door on Tim.  
  
Nicholas' wails were beginning to weaken as Tim carried his son back into the living room. He sat down in his leather recliner and began to rock. He hummed a soft tune for Nick, whose crying had finally deteriorated into sniffling. Tim stroked the baby's soft ebony curls and marveled at how much his son really looked like him. The unruly hair, the dark complexion, the eyes – it was almost as if Leanna hadn't contributed any DNA to this child at all. Nicholas finally drifted off into an exhausted, fitful sleep as the two continued to rock.  
  
Leanna stepped into the living room and collapsed on the green chenille sofa next to Tim's recliner. She swiped at her tear-swollen eyes and said, "Alexx is on her way over."  
  
"Okay," he said quietly, trying not to disturb Nicholas.  
  
"I'm sorry," Leanna said.  
  
"For what?" he asked tenderly.  
  
"I didn't mean to lay that on you the minute you walked in the door." Leanna began crying again as she spoke. "It's not like it's your fault. I just...nothing I did helped. I held him, he screamed, I tried rocking him, he screamed, I tried to feed him, he screamed. I've never felt more like a bad mother than I did today."  
  
Tim smiled gently at his wife. "Lea, you're an amazing mother, and it's okay, I'm as much his parent as you are."  
  
Leanna curled deeper into the couch and covered herself with the burgundy chenille blanket that was draped over the back. "Thanks," she answered, exhaustion weighing heavily in her voice. Tim continued to rock Nicholas as Leanna drifted off to sleep.  
  
About an hour later, Alexx knocked on the kitchen door and let herself in. She stepped into the living room and smiled at the sight before her.  
  
"Hey," Tim said sleepily, stretching slightly in his recliner, careful of the slumbering, sweating baby on his chest.  
  
Alexx laughed quietly. "When I didn't hear screaming, I figured he must be asleep."  
  
"Thank God," he answered, and gestured at Leanna. "I only had him for fifteen minutes, she's had him all night." Speed made an effort to stand, but Alexx held her hand up.  
  
"Leave him right there," she said, opening her medical bag. She knelt next to Tim and inserted a light into Nicholas' left ear. "Not in here," she said. "Can you flip him, Timmy?"  
  
Tim gently lifted Nicholas from his shoulder and turned him so that Alexx could see into his right ear. "Ooh, that's a nasty one, alright," she said, stroking Nicholas' damp curls, "No wonder he was screaming."  
  
"Another ear infection?" Tim asked the obvious.  
  
"Nothing gets by you," she teased, reaching into her medical bag again and pulling out a bottle of antibiotics. "I had Mike write the prescription and I took the liberty of getting it filled."  
  
"Have I mentioned that you are truly the greatest?" he asked.  
  
"Not in the last day or so," she laughed.  
  
"What do we owe you for the prescription?"  
  
"Nothing," she answered, "I had the pharmacy put in on your ever-growing tab."  
  
Leanna inhaled deeply and stretched, slowly waking up. "Alexx," she drawled. "How long have you been here?"  
  
"Long enough to see that your son has another ear infection," she answered.  
  
"Again?" Leanna shook her head in disbelief. "He's averaging one a month." Leanna tried to stand but Alexx leaned over her.  
  
"Stay there, honey, I'm on my way out." She reached down and hugged Leanna, kissing the younger woman on the cheek. "Bye, darlin'."  
  
"Bye, Alexx," she answered with a yawn.  
  
"Bye, Timmy," Alexx teased.  
  
"Night, Alexx," he answered as Nicholas began waking up and tugging at his right ear.  
  
Tim handed Nicholas to Leanna and followed Alexx into the kitchen. He kissed her on the cheek and closed the door behind her. Tim retrieved Nicholas' medicine dropper and infant Motrin from the drawer and padded back into the living room. He opened the medicine bottles and drew out the correct amount of the Motrin; then handed the dropper to Leanna, who managed to get it into Nicholas' mouth before he was completely awake.  
  
"One down, one to go," Tim said, taking the dropper back from Leanna and dipping it into the antibiotics and handing it back to her.  
  
Nicholas struggled against the dropper this time, finally swallowing the medicine. Leanna stood from the couch and carried Nicholas down the hall. She laid him on the changing table, changing his diaper and putting him into his pajamas. Tim leaned against the doorframe, completely engrossed in Leanna's simple actions.  
  
"What?" she asked when she caught him staring at her.  
  
"You are so beautiful," he answered, stepping up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.  
  
Leanna smiled and leaned into his embrace, keeping one hand on the squirming little boy on the changing table. "I've done nothing but yell at you since you walked in the door, and you're telling me I'm beautiful? Mr. Speedle, are you trying to make me feel guilty?"  
  
"Is it working, Mrs. Speedle?" he teased into her ear, eliciting a soft laugh from his wife.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
She slid into bed next to him, snuggling deep into his waiting arms. "So, tell me about your day," she commanded, pulling the sheet out from between the mattresses and wrapping her feet in it.  
  
"My day," he sighed, tightening his grip on her waist, "Let's see. Two very prominent physicians were murdered in Coconut Gove."  
  
"Lovely," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Sad story, too," he continued. "They had two kids, twin daughters, Michelle and Lauren. Lauren was killed in a car accident four months ago, right before Michelle's daughter was born."  
  
"How old were the daughters?" she asked.  
  
"Nineteen," he answered. "Something about it doesn't sit right with me. Michelle hopped a plane to Mexico three days ago, no return flight, leaving her daughter with her parents. Then the parents are murdered and the kid isn't touched?"  
  
"Maybe they didn't know the baby was there?" she offered.  
  
"Maybe, but think about it, Lea. You remember the other day when you dropped that skillet in the kitchen?"  
  
"Yeah, I cracked a tile," she frowned.  
  
"Don't you remember how Nick started screaming?"  
  
"Oh yeah," she answered dramatically.  
  
"Well, you've heard gunshots. They're a hell of a lot louder than a skillet dropping."  
  
Leanna nodded. "I see where you're going. The baby probably started screaming after the first shot was fired."  
  
"So why wasn't the kid touched?" he wondered aloud.  
  
"Maybe the killer had a heart after all," she yawned.  
  
"Yeah, maybe," he answered, feeling Leanna drifting to sleep. He stroked her silky auburn hair, allowing her gentle, even breathing to lull him to sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Calleigh sat quietly in her favorite chair, a big, squishy, golden crushed velvet number that you could just literally sink in to. She sipped her chamomile tea and stared out the bedroom window at the crisp Miami night.  
  
"Want to tell me about it?" Horatio's voice was soft and tinged with concern.  
  
She glanced up to find her husband leaning against the doorframe. "No Handsome," she smiled gently, "I don't."  
  
He knelt down in front of her and rested his head on her knee. "She's going to be fine, Cal. Alice will take very good care of her, you know that."  
  
Calleigh closed her eyes and battled back the tears forming in her eyes. She traced Horatio's cheek with her fingertips. "I do, it's just...." She bit her bottom lip and sighed, resting her head on the back of the chair.  
  
He took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss onto it. "Remember, we'd said we'd try for a year. We're only seven months into that year."  
  
"I know," she cried, swiping at her eyes. Horatio climbed into the oversized chair with her and wrapped his arms around her shaking form as she continued, "But, I was holding that baby today, Horatio, and God, you should have seen how she looked at me."  
  
Horatio pressed his forehead into his wife's shiny blonde hair. "I'm going to give you a baby, Cal, I swear," he promised. Calleigh was sobbing uncontrollably now, and he tightened his grip on her. "I swear," he said again.  
  
TBC... 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – PG for now  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
For Melanie-Anne, who asked me to continue this. Thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement you always give!  
  
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Tim woke the next morning to a ferocious thunderstorm tearing through Dade County. He showered quickly and dressed, letting Leanna sleep, knowing that she wouldn't be going to work since Nicholas couldn't go to daycare with a raging ear infection. He kissed her gently and left a note beside the bed, telling her he'd call in a little while to check in.  
  
"Hey, Cal," he said, stepping into the break room for his required cup of morning coffee. He found her sitting at the break room table, absent- mindedly stirring her coffee. She still looked miserable and Tim knew why - that baby had really gotten to her. Leanna's pregnancy had come as a complete shock – they hadn't been trying to conceive, but Horatio and Calleigh had been seriously trying for seven months with no luck.  
  
"Hey, Tim," she said, offering Tim a smile he knew was fake. "Alexx says my beautiful godson was quite a handful last night."  
  
Tim laughed and poured coffee into his favorite mug. "I'd say that description is pretty accurate. Lea was afraid Child Services was going to come knocking with all the screaming."  
  
"Poor Lea," Calleigh grinned. "I hope you showed her a lot of TLC," she drawled.  
  
Tim rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You damned women always stick together, don't you?"  
  
"You know it," she answered, gesturing to the door. "Go see Horatio, he's got some info on Michelle."  
  
Tim nodded and headed out of the break room, bound for Horatio's office, but Eric caught him right outside the DNA lab. "Man, you gotta look at this," the younger man said, shaking his head as he led Tim inside. He handed Tim three DNA printouts and asked, "Anything look a little odd to you?"  
  
Tim studied the printouts carefully. "How did you get Michelle's DNA?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Hairbrush in her bathroom," Eric answered proudly.  
  
"Hey, Delko," Tim asked curiously, "shouldn't Mikayla's DNA only have half the alleles in common with her mother?"  
  
Eric nodded. "It should."  
  
"So," Tim frowned, "what exactly is this telling me?"  
  
"It's telling you that Michael Johansson is Mikayla's father."  
  
Tim stared at his best friend in shock. "You've got to be kidding me," he nearly pleaded.  
  
"I wish," Eric answered. "I had Valera look up some other DNA of children born through incest, and Mikayla's DNA is a textbook case."  
  
Tim shook his head. "That is thoroughly disgusting."  
  
Eric nodded in agreement, his eyes dark with rage. "You're telling me. I'm almost glad that sick bastard is dead."  
  
"Yeah, well, let's not broadcast our opinions, okay?" Tim reminded him, handing the printouts back. "Horatio know about this yet?"  
  
"No, I just got finished running it," Eric answered.  
  
"Well," Tim sighed, "let's go pass on your revelation."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Calleigh fought back the wave of nausea that threatened to overtake her as she listened to Eric's report. "Oh my God," she said weakly. Horatio only shook his head in disgust.  
  
"Yeah, the good doc was a real winner," Eric said sarcastically, earning a hardened glare from Tim. Eric shrank back against the doorframe, shrugging at Tim's stare.  
  
"H, Calleigh said you had some info on Michelle," Tim said.  
  
Horatio turned back to his desk and picked up a file. "Police in Cabo San Lucas were able to trace Michelle to a hotel on the beach. The desk clerk confirmed that she did check in, but no one has seen her since."  
  
"Well, that's not good news," Tim sighed over the ringing of Horatio's cell phone.  
  
"Caine," he answered.  
  
"Lieutenant?" Alice Martin's voice was trembling and he could hear a child, who he assumed was Mikayla, screaming in the background. "I've done everything I can, but this child won't stop crying and she didn't sleep all night," she explained. "I'm at the end of my rope, and well, she was happy yesterday, with your wife, and I was wondering..."  
  
Horatio cut her off brusquely. "I don't think that would be a good idea."  
  
"Lieutenant! I know it's against the rules, but you can't just let this baby scream," Alice begged.  
  
Horatio sighed heavily and motioned for Calleigh. She stepped up next to her husband with a puzzled expression on her face. "Alice, that will be something my wife has to decide." He handed the phone to Calleigh. "It's about Mikayla."  
  
Calleigh accepted the phone and stepped into the hall to finish the call. Horatio returned his attention to his CSIs. "Seems your kid isn't the only one screaming his head off," he said to Tim.  
  
"You think that's a good idea?" Tim gestured toward the door.  
  
"No, actually, I don't," Horatio answered quickly.  
  
Tim changed the subject. "So, what's being done about Michelle?"  
  
Horatio shrugged, still distracted by the phone call as he watched Calleigh in the hallway. "I'm not sure anything can be done. The police have staked out Michelle's hotel room, and they'll keep looking, but if she doesn't want to be found..."  
  
"What about her credit card records?" Eric asked.  
  
"She reserved the hotel room with her credit card, but paid cash on arrival. According to the Johansson's financial records, Michelle cleaned out her trust fund. Plus, we found all of Michelle's credit cards in her purse, in the house," Horatio explained.  
  
"She's on the run," Tim surmised.  
  
"Looks that way," Horatio agreed.  
  
"Leanna brought up a good point last night, Horatio," Tim began, "We were talking about the case, how Mikayla wasn't touched. Leanna suggested that the killer might have had a heart after all."  
  
Eric continued the thought. "Maybe the killer was someone who knew the baby and just couldn't kill her."  
  
"Maybe," Horatio nodded, "Maybe the killer was her mother. Interview the Johannson's staff, maybe someone knows something."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
"Michelle was at the house that day," the Johansson's maid, Evelyn Robins, told Tim during their interview. The woman refused to really look at Tim, choosing to concentrate on defiantly scrubbing her kitchen down with bleach, as if her actions could bring the Johanssons back.  
  
"She was THERE?" Tim asked again, hoping he'd heard her wrong.  
  
"Yes, she was there. I caught her in Mikayla's nursery about three o'clock. She begged me not to tell her parents. They thought she was on vacation in Mexico."  
  
"And you didn't tell them?"  
  
Evelyn shook her head. "I didn't see them before I left. I'd planned on telling them today, but of course..." She stared out the window and wiped the tears from her eyes.  
  
Tim nodded. "So, who was taking care of Mikayla?"  
  
"Her nanny," the woman answered.  
  
"And the nanny didn't see Michelle?"  
  
"No," she said, "Julie thought that Mikayla might be coming down with an ear infection and ran up to the hospital to get a prescription from Dr. Johansson. Lord, how that baby cried before Julie got her to sleep."  
  
"Yeah, my kid's got an ear infection, too," he offered. "What time did Julie return?"  
  
"About five o'clock. Said she had a terrible time trying to track the doctor down."  
  
"Mrs. Robins, did Dr. Johansson or Dr. Bartley have any enemies that you knew of?"  
  
Evelyn shook her head defiantly. "No. Everyone loved them. They were the perfect couple, the perfect parents, fine, upstanding members of the community."  
  
Tim fought the urge to roll his eyes and scratched a note down on his pad. No one is perfect, he reminded himself. Everyone has skeletons in their closets, including the perfect Johannsons. "Mrs. Robins, did you ever meet Mikayla's father?"  
  
She turned away from Tim and resumed scrubbing the counter. "Yes," she answered finally.  
  
Tim's pencil paused on the paper and he waited for her continue. "Care to elaborate on that?" he asked.  
  
"Not especially, Detective," she answered curtly.  
  
"Well," he glared at her, "I think you better anyway."  
  
Evelyn tossed the scrub brush on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. "Michelle's a good girl, Detective, she really is...."  
  
"But," Tim encouraged her.  
  
"But, she has a bit of a wild side."  
  
"Wild side?"  
  
She nodded. "Both the girls, Michelle and Lauren, went a little crazy when they graduated from high school. Ran around with the wrong crowd, alcohol, drugs, sex, you name it – they did it."  
  
"What did their parents think?"  
  
Evelyn snickered. "They hated it, especially Dr. Johansson. He prided himself on his perfect, beautiful family."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Michelle found out she was pregnant. She said it was a one-night stand with some guy she barely knew, but I had other ideas."  
  
"A boyfriend?"  
  
Evelyn nodded. "His name is Dougan."  
  
"Is that a first name or a last name?" Tim asked curiously, scribbling the name onto the pad.  
  
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "But I do know that she didn't want her parents to know anything about Dougan. I caught them in bed together one morning and Michelle swore me to secrecy."  
  
"This was before or after Michelle found out she was pregnant?"  
  
"After."  
  
Tim frowned over this development. "Dougan seem like a good guy?"  
  
"I don't generally consider that type of fellow to be a good guy, no," she answered mysteriously.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Tim rapped on the front door of an upscale condominium complex near the Grove. A young man with purple hair and rings in his ears, nose, eyebrows and lip answered. Tim and John Hagen flashed their badges.  
  
"Chris Dougan?" Tim asked.  
  
The man eyed the cops suspiciously. "What's this about?"  
  
"Where were you two nights ago about nine-thirty?" Hagen demanded.  
  
"At a club downtown, setting up for my gig. I have a band." His bloodshot eyes darted between them. "What's this about?" he asked again.  
  
"Dr. Michael Johansson and Dr. Ava Bartley were murdered in their home two nights ago," Tim explained.  
  
Dougan's eyes went wide and the color drained out of his already pale face. "Michelle's parents? Oh my God, was she there? What about Mikayla?" he asked frantically.  
  
"Michelle's is Mexico, Chris," Tim said, fishing for more information. "She left four days ago."  
  
"Mexico?" he shook his head in confusion, "No, that's not right, I just saw her two days ago."  
  
"The day of the murders?" Hagen clarified.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," he said reluctantly, stepping back from the door to allow the detectives to enter. Chris flopped down on his white leather sofa and ran his hands over his face. "Wow, I just can't believe this. What about Mikayla?"  
  
"She's with Social Services," Tim answered, "She wasn't hurt."  
  
"Oh, thank God," he sighed. "Man, this is so weird." He took a cigarette from the box on the coffee table and lit it – a nervous habit Tim could unfortunately relate to.  
  
"Weird how?" Tim asked.  
  
"Michelle came over the other day, and the way she was talking," he explained, "it was like she was never going to see me again or something. She kept telling me how much I'd meant to her and how much she appreciated me being there for her."  
  
"Being there for her?"  
  
Chris nodded and took a long drag off the cigarette. "Through Lauren's death, Mikayla's birth, that kind of thing."  
  
Tim made mental notes. Although they already knew that Dr. Johansson was Mikayla's father, he reasoned it was entirely possible that Chris didn't. "Chris, are you Mikayla's father?" he asked.  
  
Chris shook his head. "No, why do you ask that?"  
  
Tim shrugged. "The Johansson's maid, Evelyn Robins, thought you might be."  
  
"No, no, I love Michelle and I'd be proud to be Mikayla's father, but I didn't meet her until after she'd gotten pregnant."  
  
"Did Michelle ever tell you who the father was?"  
  
Chris laughed bitterly and blew out a cloud of thick gray smoke. "Funny you should put it that way."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"The father was the father," Chris answered glumly. "That bastard had been raping Michelle since she was thirteen."  
  
"And you're sure about that?" Hagen inquired.  
  
Chris exhaled the last drag from the cigarette and tapped it out in the ashtray. "She told me after the first time we had sex. She started crying and I asked her why - took me hours to finally get it out of her."  
  
Tim folded his arms across his chest. "Mrs. Robins said Michelle has a wild side."  
  
"That she does," he agreed with a faint hint of a smile, "I think she was using the drugs and alcohol to kill the pain. But, Michelle didn't sleep around. I was her first."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Calleigh gently lifted Mikayla from the crib in Alice's home. The baby's cries quieted immediately and she latched on to Calleigh's loose hair and held on for dear life. She wrapped the infant in her arms, cooing and talking in hushed tones as Mikayla began to calm down.  
  
Alice watched the display from the doorway, enchanted by the comforting presence Calleigh had on this child. "When are you and the Lieutenant going to have children?" she asked softly.  
  
Calleigh visibly winced at the question. "Soon, I hope," she answered quietly. "We've been trying for a while, but..."  
  
"These things take time, Calleigh," Alice encouraged, "you know that."  
  
Calleigh smiled weakly and sat down in the rocking chair beside Mikayla's crib. She stroked the infant's flushed cheeks with her fingertips. "Hi there beautiful," she said gently, brushing her fingers through the curls on Mikayla's head. Finally content, her long eyelashes began fluttering and the exhausted infant quickly fell asleep in Calleigh's arms.  
  
She rocked them for about fifteen minutes before Alice said, "You can probably put her down now." Calleigh nodded and stood, gently depositing Mikayla into the crib. When she sensed that Calleigh was no longer holding her, Mikayla's blue eyes flew open and she immediately began wailing.  
  
"Or not," Calleigh said irritably, shooting a glare at Alice. She scooped Mikayla up and returned to the rocking chair. Sleep tugged heavily on her eyelids, but Mikayla seemed hesitant to fall asleep, fearful of Calleigh leaving her again.  
  
Alice returned with a bottle and handed it to Calleigh. Mikayla's eyes rolled back in her head as she sucked on the bottle and she finally gave in to sleep again.  
  
Alice sat down on the floor in front of Calleigh. "I don't know what to do here," she shook her head.  
  
"Alice," Calleigh cut her off. "Do you want me to take her?"  
  
"I don't know, Calleigh," she answered honestly. "I'm fearful that Mikayla will get more attached to you and that will make the inevitable separation unbearable for both of you. But on the other hand, you are the only person that baby seems to trust."  
  
"Can you clear it with Social Services?" Calleigh asked quickly, stroking Mikayla's cheek while she slept.  
  
"I already did," Alice sighed. "I was afraid this was going to happen."  
  
TBC... 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – PG for now  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Eric leaned over his microscope and frowned. Then he sighed loudly as he examined the bullet taken from Dr. Johansson and compared it to one of Calleigh's reference books.  
  
"What's wrong, Delko?" Tim asked with a chuckle when Eric began scratching his head.  
  
"Nothing," Eric sighed again, "Everything, I don't know, man. Where the hell is Calleigh? It's gonna take me five hours to identify a bullet she could ID in five seconds."  
  
"Calleigh's with Mikayla," Tim reminded him. "Which reminds me..." Tim took his cell phone from the clip on his pants and dialed his home number.  
  
"Hey there, sexy man," Leanna teased into the phone.  
  
"Hey yourself," he answered with a grin.  
  
"Tim?" she feigned shock at the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry, I thought you were my boyfriend."  
  
Tim rolled his eyes and stifled a laugh. "You're a regular riot act, babe."  
  
"Well," he could almost see Leanna shrugging on the other end of the phone, "I haven't heard from you all day, so I assumed you had abandoned us, and I was moving on," she said playfully.  
  
"How's my boy?" he asked.  
  
"Sleeping peacefully," she answered gratefully. "His fever broke about noon and hasn't come back yet."  
  
"That's great, babe."  
  
"Yup. You gonna be home soon?"  
  
Tim looked down at his watch. "Couple of hours, why?" he replied.  
  
"Will you stop and grab a pizza on your way home?" she asked. "I don't really feel like cooking tonight."  
  
"Can do," he answered. "I gotta go, I love you."  
  
"I love you more, Tommy, I mean Jimmy, wait no, Tim. Yeah, that's your name," she teased, then disconnected.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Calleigh struggled with the weight of Mikayla's carrier, trying to hold the crime lab door open with one hand and maneuver herself, Mikayla and the diaper bag through with the other. She glanced down at the baby, who smiled brightly at her. "You don't have to enjoy this quite so much, little one," Calleigh laughed, "I'm new at this."  
  
Eric rounded the corner and caught Calleigh as she was retrieving her messages. "Calleigh!" he exclaimed. "I've got a bullet with your name on it."  
  
"Well, that's just not a very nice way to greet someone," she teased.  
  
Eric made a move to take the carrier away from Calleigh. "Let me do that, these things are heavy."  
  
Calleigh shied away quickly, leaving Eric with his hand out. "I'm sorry," she explained, "but if I give Mikayla to you, she's going to start screaming again, and frankly, I've had all of that I can take for one day."  
  
"Okay," he nodded, taking the diaper bag off her arm instead, "then I'll take this."  
  
"Thanks," she said gratefully, "Where's Horatio?"  
  
"In his office," he replied.  
  
"Okay," she sighed, and glanced back down at Mikayla, "let's get this over with."  
  
Horatio saw Calleigh coming with the baby, long before she knocked on his door, thanks to the floor to ceiling windows in his office that overlooked the entire lab.  
  
He stood as she sat Mikayla's carrier down on the black leather couch in his office and looked up at him seriously. Horatio opened his mouth to say something, but Calleigh cut him off. "Before you say anything," she said, "I'm doing this for Mikayla. You heard how that baby was screaming."  
  
He came around to the front of his desk and leaned against the edge. "And what are you going to do when Michelle comes back or Social Services finds a permanent home for her?" he asked gently.  
  
Calleigh lifted Mikayla from the carrier and placed the four-month-old on her hip. "First of all, if Michelle comes back and wants Mikayla, surely the baby's going to trust her own mother. Second of all, if Social Services places her – I have a plan."  
  
Horatio allowed his mind to drift for a moment, to a time and place when the child on Calleigh's hip was really their own. To a time and place where he knew Calleigh would never have to give this child up. Mikayla looked so much like Calleigh; his dream wasn't much of a stretch. "And that is?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Introduce the new family to her slowly – let the trust build. That way, I have time to let her go and Mikayla has time to get used to her new family," Calleigh explained.  
  
"Sounds like you've thought this through," he commended her.  
  
"I have Horatio, I really have," she said gratefully. "I know Mikayla isn't mine, but right now, I am the only person she trusts."  
  
Horatio crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't have to like this, do I?"  
  
"No," she shook her head, "you don't and I fully understand why you don't. But please understand that I have to do this. Not for me, for Mikayla."  
  
Horatio nodded weakly, resigned to the fact that his wife generally got her way. She smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss him, much to Mikayla's delight. The infant squealed with happiness and latched onto Horatio's collar.  
  
"Hey, watch it," he gently warned as the collar found its way into Mikayla's mouth. "This suit is expensive."  
  
Tim watched the display from the doorway and finally spoke up, startling the couple. "If the kid's gonna be with you for more than five minutes, get used to it, H. I no longer own anything that hasn't been spit up on at least once."  
  
"Thanks for the advice, Speed," Horatio said sarcastically.  
  
Speed stepped up to Calleigh and smoothed Mikayla's blonde curls with his fingertips. "You oughta take her over to our house," he said, "Lea and Nick are there, and according to the Johansson's maid, Mikayla has an ear infection too, so it's not like they'd be spreading germs or anything."  
  
Calleigh's face lit up. "That's a great idea, Tim," she gushed, "Horatio, do you care? I might be able to put her down for five minutes if Nicholas is there to entertain her."  
  
"No, Cal," Horatio answered, "That's fine."  
  
"Thanks," she said, kissing him again. Calleigh loaded Mikayla into her carrier quickly and the two were gone.  
  
Horatio shook his head and sighed. "What do we have, Speed?" he asked blandly.  
  
"Michelle was definitely in town on the day of the murders," Tim explained, "the Johannson's maid, Evelyn Robins, and Michelle's boyfriend, Chris Dougan, confirmed it."  
  
"Put an APB out for Michelle – she may be hanging around, making sure Mikayla's okay," Horatio commanded.  
  
"H, you insult me," Tim teased his boss.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Calleigh knocked on Tim and Leanna's front door, resting Mikayla's carrier on her leg, trying to relieve some of the weight. Leanna opened the door with Nicholas balanced on her hip. "Calleigh!" she exclaimed, stepping back to allow her to enter. "Oh my God," she commented as Calleigh passed, "That's a baby."  
  
"Glad to know your detective skills aren't falling by the wayside, Lea," Calleigh teased, setting Mikayla on the couch and unstrapping her from the carrier. Nicholas struggled against Leanna's firm grasp, anxious to get to Mikayla. Leanna carried him over and sat down on the couch beside Calleigh. "I'm going to assume that this is the Johannson's granddaughter."  
  
"You assume correctly," Calleigh laughed as Nicholas finally launched himself over Leanna's legs and partially onto Calleigh's lap. She cradled the two babies together, Nicholas in her left arm, Mikayla in her right. The children were fascinated by one another. Nicholas reached his chubby little hand out to touch Mikayla, who squealed with delight and immediately stuck his fingers into her mouth. "I guess that's okay," Calleigh looked to Leanna for confirmation.  
  
"Everything goes in their mouths at that age," Leanna explained, "It's fine." Leanna stood from the couch and headed down the hallway. She opened the linen closet and removed a plain white sheet from the shelf. Padding back to the living room, she spread the sheet out and threw a couple of Nicholas' toys onto the soft cotton fabric. Then she scooped up her son and sat him down on the sheet, settling down beside him.  
  
Calleigh stood from the couch with Mikayla and followed Leanna's lead. "He's really sitting up well," she commented as she laid Mikayla on her tummy next to Nicholas.  
  
"He takes after his father – excels at everything – little stinker," Leanna teased, blowing a raspberry into the folds of Nicholas' neck. The little boy's eyes twinkled as he grabbed her auburn hair and laughed brightly at his mother's antics.  
  
"I don't even know what four-month-olds are supposed to be able to do," Calleigh frowned, handing Mikayla a soft rattle.  
  
"You can borrow the 'What to Expect' book you gave me," Leanna offered.  
  
"Thanks, I have a feeling I'm going to need it," Calleigh sighed.  
  
Leanna shook her head at the babies. Nicholas was leaning over Mikayla, who had rolled onto her back, and was gently beating on her tummy with his hands. "Christ, it's like watching a tiny Tim with a tiny Calleigh. Kind of freaking me out," she complained.  
  
Calleigh laughed and leaned back against the couch, watching Nick and Mikayla play together. "Horatio thinks I'm crazy, taking on this baby," she sighed again.  
  
Leanna smiled sympathetically at her friend. "I remember when Nicholas was about three months old, he had his first ear infection. He screamed and screamed, just like he did last night, but that time I had no idea what was wrong with him. I remember feeling so helpless. I knew he was in pain, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to help him."  
  
A single tear wound its way down Calleigh's cheek. She nodded weakly and rested her head against the cushion. "I was talking to Alice this morning about Mikayla and I could hear her crying in the background. It totally broke my heart, Lea, I just couldn't take it."  
  
"I understand, Calleigh," Leanna said, placing her hand gently on Calleigh's leg. "The men may not understand, but I do."  
  
"Thanks," Calleigh said gratefully.  
  
"Why don't you call Horatio and tell him to have Tim bring home two pizzas?" Leanna suggested, "Then you and H can just eat here while the kids play – it'll give us both a break."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
"Daddy's home," Tim called out, dropping the requested pizzas on the counter. Horatio placed a six-pack of beer into the refrigerator and followed Tim into the living room.  
  
Nicholas shrieked with joy at the sound of his father's voice, dancing around with his upper body as he sat on the sheet. Tim grabbed Nicholas up and cradled the boy loosely in his arms, swinging him around as he kissed over the baby's face. "Now this is the Nick Daddy likes coming home to," Tim explained to his son, bringing Nicholas' face even with his and kissing him again, "not the screaming wonder that was here last night."  
  
He reached out a hand to Leanna to help her off the floor. "Grub's on," he said, kissing her quickly. Nicholas continued to bounce in his father's strong arms, grabbing onto the front of Tim's black button down shirt for balance.  
  
Calleigh scooped Mikayla up and cradled the infant on her hip. "Have a nice afternoon?" Horatio asked gently, fingering Mikayla's soft curls.  
  
"Yes, it was lovely," she responded, trying to keep her growing maternal feelings for Mikayla closely guarded. She followed Tim and Leanna into the kitchen. "What can I do?" she asked quickly.  
  
"Grab a slice of pizza and a beer," Tim ordered, flipping two slices onto a plate while keeping Nicholas precariously cradled in his arm. Horatio marveled at how quickly Tim had taken to being a father and how fast he could switch from professional mode into family-man mode. It was a skill he'd always prayed he'd be able to develop – someday.  
  
"You can use the high-chair for Mikayla," Tim continued, sitting down at the kitchen table and settling Nicholas onto his lap. Nick immediately reached for his father's plate and Tim pushed it out of his grasp, offering the now-frowning Nicholas a cookie instead.  
  
"You'll have to excuse my husband. The man has zero manners," Leanna apologized, "but he's awfully cute."  
  
"You asked me to bring home pizza, Lea, not manners," Tim shot back, pushing the plate even further away from Nick's straining grasp. Nicholas beat his fists against the table and whined in protest. "H and Cal are here as much as we are – they are no longer guests."  
  
Leanna took down three additional plates, keeping two and offering one to Horatio. "Cal, what kind of pizza do you want? We've got supreme and pepperoni."  
  
"Supreme," Calleigh answered, fiddling with the strap on Nicholas' high chair. Once she was confident that Mikayla wasn't going anywhere, she fastened the feeding tray to the top. "So, what's new with the Johansson case?" she asked, taking her plate from Leanna.  
  
"We put out an APB on Michelle, thinking she might be hanging around," Tim mumbled with his mouth full of pizza.  
  
"Tim, didn't your mother ever tell you that's tacky?" Calleigh chided.  
  
He swallowed; then grinned at her. "She did, and that's why I don't live with her any more, thank you very much."  
  
Calleigh rolled her eyes and took a bite of pizza, directing her attention to her husband, whose cell phone was ringing at his hip. "Caine," he answered harshly.  
  
"H, it's Eric. We've got Michelle in custody. You're not gonna believe this," he explained, "She returned to the scene of the crime."  
  
"Thanks, Eric, we're on our way." Horatio flipped the phone shut and returned it to his hip. "Speed, we gotta go."  
  
Tim looked up at Horatio, "You gotta be kidding me," he whined, "I just got home."  
  
"Michelle Johansson returned to the scene of the crime," Horatio stated. Tim groaned and stood, handing Nicholas to Leanna and shoveling the last bites of pizza into his mouth. Calleigh's eyes were wide with fear as she glanced at Mikayla.  
  
"What about Mikayla?" she asked quietly. Horatio bent over and kissed his wife's blonde hair. "That will all depend on what Michelle has to say for herself," he said gently.  
  
"I'm taking one of these, Lea," Tim grumbled, waving his hand over the pizza boxes, "which one you want?"  
  
"Take half of one and half the other, and leave the rest," she requested. He did as he was told, and crossed back over to kiss her and Nicholas. "I'll probably see you in the morning," he said.  
  
"Sounds like it," she sympathized, running her finger over the stubble on his cheek. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too," he said, sneaking Nicholas a tiny bite of meat. The baby squealed with delight and immediately swallowed it. "Dammit, Tim!" Leanna griped, "If his next diaper is gross, I swear it will come back to bite you in the ass."  
  
Tim only laughed and followed Horatio out the door. "He thinks I'm kidding," she said to Calleigh, leveling her glare at the closing kitchen door then turning to Calleigh. She was biting her bottom lip again, fighting back the tears Leanna saw in her eyes. Her heart broke for her friend. "It's too late, isn't it Cal?" she asked softly, placing her hand gently on Calleigh's arm.  
  
Calleigh stared at her blankly, pressing her finger into the edge of her eyes. "Too late for what, Lea?" she asked curiously.  
  
"You're already so attached to that baby, it's going to kill you to give her up," Leanna sighed. Calleigh could only nod, and sob, her response.  
  
TBC.... 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – PG for now  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Tim and Horatio entered the interrogation room and faced Michelle Johansson. Her highlighted brown hair hung limp around her tear-streaked face. She looked, in a word, exhausted. Horatio sat down beside Michelle, on the same side of the table. Tim hung back in the doorframe, observing.  
  
"Michelle," Horatio began quietly, "My name is Lieutenant Horatio Caine."  
  
Michelle's blue eyes went wide as she recognized Horatio's last name. "Caine," she said, "You're the one who has my daughter."  
  
Horatio nodded. "Actually, it's my wife, Calleigh. Mikayla is in very good hands."  
  
"I want to see her," Michelle demanded, looking Horatio squarely in the eyes.  
  
"In good time, Michelle," he answered. "In the meantime, Detective Speedle and I have a few questions for you."  
  
She sank back in her seat and nodded weakly. "I heard about my parents, that's why I came back," she explained.  
  
Horatio saw through the obvious lie. Michelle fiddled nervously with the Kleenex in her hands, unconsciously ripping the material to shreds. "How?" he asked, "How did you find out?"  
  
She shrugged and wound the Kleenex around her fingers. "CNN," she answered with a shrug.  
  
Horatio glanced at Tim, who shook his head discreetly. Eric had been monitoring the news and no reports on the Johanssons' murders had been featured on the national news. Horatio returned his attention to the young woman sitting beside him. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Michelle," he said gently.  
  
"How dare you?" Michelle asked angrily. "I have done nothing but cooperate, you stole my child from me, and now I'm lying?"  
  
"I appreciate your cooperation, Michelle, but your parents' murder has not been on CNN, and as for your child being stolen from you," Horatio cast a hard glare at her, "you left her with your parents, who were murdered, and Social Services took over. It's standard procedure."  
  
"You call it whatever you want, Lieutenant," she said coldly, ignoring his comment about CNN. "I'm here now, and I want my daughter back."  
  
Tim took over, sliding Eric's DNA analyses in front of her. "Do you know what this is, Michelle?"  
  
The teenager glanced at the papers and shook her head. "DNA analyses, on you, Mikayla and your parents," he explained, not missing Michelle's hard swallow. "We were hoping you could explain something for us. According to this report, Mikayla's father is, well, your father."  
  
Michelle shifted uncomfortably in her chair and swiped the shredded Kleenex over her bloodshot eyes. "So, you already know," she said.  
  
"Yeah, we already know," Tim scowled, "and no offense, but it makes you the primary suspect."  
  
She nodded weakly and took another look at the sheets. "I guess I can understand that," she answered.  
  
"Michelle," Horatio began, "I don't want to take you away from your daughter for life without parole, but I need your help. Tell me what happened."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Lieutenant," she said incredulously. "I didn't kill my parents."  
  
"I think you're lying again, don't you think she's lying, Speed?"  
  
"Absolutely," the younger man responded. "See, the maid and your boyfriend, Chris Dougan, both told us they saw you the day of the murders."  
  
"They're lying," she stated, her steely eyes drilling a hole through Tim.  
  
"They're lying," he repeated sarcastically, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Yes," she answered plainly. "Look, I don't know who killed my parents, but I can assure you, it wasn't me. My parents and Mikayla were all I had left in the world."  
  
"That doesn't mean you didn't kill them," Tim stated coldly.  
  
"We have no other family. My grandparents are all dead, both my parents were only children and my twin sister, Lauren..."  
  
"Died in a car accident, we know," Tim replied unsympathetically, settling into his 'bad cop' role. "What do you think we've been doing for two days, Michelle? Just sitting around, waiting for you to show up at the scene of the crime?"  
  
Eric knocked on the window and Tim stepped outside, leaving Horatio in with Michelle. "Found a motel key in her rental car," Eric explained, handing Tim a sheet of paper. "Traced it back to the Beach Shores motel. Hagen showed the desk clerk a picture of Michelle – woman recognized her immediately. She registered under the name of Lauren Bartley."  
  
"Not very creative, using the mother and sister's names," Tim said with a frown, "How long has she been there?"  
  
"Since the day after she left for Cabo," Eric said. "She must have gotten on that plane, checked into the hotel there, and took another plane right back."  
  
"Building the perfect alibi," Tim shook his head. "Or so she thought, she's already made two mistakes."  
  
Eric nodded. "The maid and the boyfriend. I'm checking the car for the gun, and graveyard's going through the motel room with a fine-tooth comb. If she's made another mistake, we'll find it."  
  
"Thanks, man," Tim said appreciatively. "By the way, there's pizza in the break room. We were having dinner when we got called back in."  
  
He stepped back into the interrogation room and handed Horatio the report. "Michelle, we found your room key for the Beach Shores motel. You care to explain that?" Tim asked.  
  
Michelle shook her head and sneered. "I'm not explaining anything to you, Detective. Not without my lawyer."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Horatio tossed his keys on the kitchen counter hours later, quietly padding upstairs to his bedroom. He gently pushed the door open, startled for only a second by the sound of two people breathing in the room. He crossed over to the bathroom, opening the door just enough to flip on the light, providing a tiny sliver of light throughout the room.  
  
Calleigh was sleeping on her side, her blonde hair cascading across her navy blue pillow. Mikayla was tucked in securely beside her and Calleigh had set Horatio's pillows along the other edge of the bed, preventing the baby from rolling off.  
  
Calleigh inhaled sharply, and Horatio cursed himself for flipping on the light and waking her. "Hi," she mumbled.  
  
"Hi," he answered, removing his slacks and shirt, then sliding into his cotton pajama pants. "I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
"It's okay," she drawled, rubbing her eyes and glancing down to check on Mikayla. "How's Michelle?"  
  
"We've found her motel room, proof that she was in Miami the day of the murder, basically, everything but the gun," he explained, "And we've got every available uniform searching every dumpster, trash can and rain gutter between Coconut Grove and the Beach Shores motel."  
  
"What about Mikayla?" Calleigh asked.  
  
"We had enough evidence to arrest Michelle, she's cooling her heels in lockup until tomorrow. She asked for a lawyer." Horatio sat his pillows at the head of the bed again and crawled in, stretching and sighing as he tried to get comfortable.  
  
"Do you really think she did it, Horatio?" Calleigh asked quietly, stroking Mikayla's blonde curls while she slept.  
  
"I do," he answered quickly. "I just need the gun to prove it."  
  
TBC... 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – PG for now  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
"I think I know who did this," Michelle explained the next morning, following a very long meeting with her lawyer, Frank Roth. "I think it's possible that my boyfriend killed my parents."  
  
"Chris Dougan?" Tim asked, his tone cold, hiding the shock he felt at Michelle's sudden revelation.  
  
"Yes," she answered with a nod. "He threatened my father numerous times."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us this last night, Michelle?" Horatio asked.  
  
She shrugged. "Protecting him, I guess. I love Chris, I don't want to believe that he did this."  
  
"How exactly did he threaten your father?" Tim inquired.  
  
"Dad and Chris got into a fight, right after I told Chris about the baby," she explained, "Chris was disgusted, and so angry, not with me, with my dad. They had words and Chris said that if my dad laid a hand on me again, Chris would kill him."  
  
"So, did he?" Tim asked.  
  
"Did he what?" she asked blankly.  
  
"Lay a hand on you again," he spelled it out for her.  
  
"Oh," she nodded, diverting her eyes to the floor, "yeah, he did."  
  
"And I'm guessing you told Chris about it?"  
  
"When I told him that I was leaving town," she answered.  
  
"So, you think Chris waited until you were on vacation, then went to the house and killed your parents?" Tim resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't believe one word of Michelle's story, and he could tell from Horatio's expression that he didn't either. "So, why kill your mother too?" Tim continued, "She wasn't the one who was raping you all those years."  
  
Michelle's eyes glassed over with tears. "She knew what he was doing. Chris knew that she knew. He always kept a gun. You'll find it upstairs in the crawl space in his closet."  
  
"Okay, Michelle," Horatio stated. "We'll send a team over to Chris' house. Hang tight, we'll be back later." He stood and headed out of the interrogation room with Tim hot on his heels.  
  
"There is no freakin' way Chris was involved with this, H," Tim said angrily, pumping his fist to illustrate his point. "You should have seen that kid yesterday, H, he was terrified that something had happened to Michelle and Mikayla."  
  
"Calm down, Speed, I don't believe he was involved either," Horatio stated. "Let the evidence speak for itself. Get a warrant, get Hagen and get out there."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Tim and Hagen knocked on Chris' door again, waiting impatiently for the young man to answer the door. It swung open and Chris yawned – clearly they'd woken him up.  
  
"Hey, you guys again," he muttered sleepily. Tim could see the cobwebs immediately sweeping from Chris' mind as the realization that the two cops who'd told him his girlfriend's parents were dead were suddenly on his doorstep again. "Mikayla?" he asked, his voice tinged with fear. "It's Mikayla, isn't it? Somebody hurt her?"  
  
Tim shook his head. "No, man, Mikayla's fine. She's with my boss's wife, and she's in really good hands, I swear. This is about Michelle."  
  
Chris stood back and allowed them to enter. "Michelle? Does that mean you found her?"  
  
Hagen nodded and handed him the search warrant. "What's this?" the young man asked blankly.  
  
"That's a warrant to search your property for the murder weapon, Chris," Hagen explained gently.  
  
"You gotta be kidding me!" he exclaimed. "You think I did this?"  
  
"Michelle kind of," Tim paused and glanced at Hagen, "implicated you in the murder."  
  
Chris' eyes went wide and he looked as though the wind had been totally knocked out of him. He sat down on the nearest piece of furniture – the coffee table. "But, why would she think that I...." he stammered.  
  
Tim took a deep breath; already uncomfortable with the path he was about to go down with Chris. "She says that you threatened her father. Did you do that, Chris?"  
  
"Hell, I don't know, probably." He glanced up at Tim's wedding ring. "What would you do, man, if you found out somebody was hurting the woman you loved? Wouldn't you threaten him if you thought it might help?"  
  
Tim couldn't answer, because he knew he would – he'd probably do a hell of a lot worse than just threaten anyone who was hurting Leanna.  
  
"Did anybody hear you threaten Dr. Johansson?" Hagen asked.  
  
"Uh, let's see," Chris thought, "Other than Dr. Bartley and Michelle, the maid was there, but I don't think she liked me very much anyway. The purple hair kind of freaks her out, you know how old people are."  
  
Tim and Hagen nodded in agreement. "Chris, do you have a gun?" Tim asked gently.  
  
Chris rolled his eyes. "This is Miami, dude, everybody has a gun," he answered sarcastically.  
  
Tim stared him down and Chris continued, "Yes, I have a gun. I haven't even looked at it in months. I had it for my old apartment – I was broken into five times."  
  
"Where is it?" Hagen asked.  
  
"I moved it into a crawl space in my closet. I was afraid that Mikayla might get into it. I know that's stupid, she can't even crawl yet, but still, better safe than sorry," he explained.  
  
"We're going to need the gun, Chris," Tim said gently.  
  
Chris nodded weakly, running a hand through his purple tinged hair. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, man. I got nothing to hide."  
  
Tim stood and opened his kit. He took out two pairs of latex gloves, handing one set to Hagen. The two men followed Chris upstairs. He opened the closet for them and pushed away his clothes and equipment, revealing the crawl space. Hagen pushed the tiny door open, and reaching inside while Tim took pictures. Tim sighed deeply as John lifted a 9mm pistol from the space.  
  
Hagen handed the gun to Tim and took out his cuffs. "I'm sorry I have to do this, man." He grasped Chris' wrists and slapped the cuffs on him. "I can't believe this," Chris whispered bitterly as John led him to the patrol car, "She said she loved me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
"We found the gun, Michelle," Horatio explained, "Right where you said it was going to be."  
  
Michelle smiled coldly and looked up at Horatio with steely eyes. "I told you. Did you arrest Chris?"  
  
Tim was fuming by this point, fighting the urge to leap across the table and strangle Michelle Johansson.  
  
"We did," Horatio nodded, "But I have to tell you, Chris maintains his innocence, and quite frankly, we believe him."  
  
"You believe him," she asked, "but not me?"  
  
"That's right Michelle," Tim spat out angrily, "we do."  
  
"And why is that, Detective?" she asked curiously, titling her head to one side as she spoke.  
  
"Because the minute we told Chris that your parents had been murdered, the first thing he asked about was you and Mikayla. He wanted to make sure you were all right. The first thing you asked was where you daughter was. You already knew she was fine," Tim explained.  
  
"I already told you, I saw it on CNN," she shot back. "There was no mention of my daughter, so I knew she had to be okay."  
  
"When are you going to let that go, Michelle?" Horatio asked quietly.  
  
"You can't let go of the truth, Lieutenant," she smirked.  
  
Eric knocked on the door and Tim stepped outside. "Fingerprints on the gun," Eric explained, handing Tim his report, "two sets of fresh prints, Michelle's and...."  
  
"If you say Chris's I swear to God, I'm turning in my badge," Tim warned.  
  
Eric grinned. "Would I do that to you? The other set belonged to Lauren Johansson."  
  
"How is that possible, Delko? Lauren is dead."  
  
Eric shook his head. "She may be dead, but those prints were ripe, man."  
  
"Let me ask another question, how did we get Lauren's prints?" Tim asked.  
  
"The Johansson's registered the girls in one of those Safe Kids programs ten years ago, in case they were ever kidnapped," Eric explained.  
  
"And Chris' prints?" Tim questioned.  
  
"Old," Eric answered, "The prints from Michelle and Lauren were all over the gun's exterior. The prints I got of Chris's were inside; probably from the last time he cleaned it. Nothing fresh, though. You gonna go in there and take the wind out of Michelle's sails?"  
  
"Nah," Tim said with a shrug. "Let her sweat it out a minute. First, I'm going to tell Chris."  
  
Tim knocked on the door of the interrogation room across the hall and stepped inside. Hagen was there, basically consoling a near-hysterical Chris. "I just don't understand," the younger man cried, "how could she do this to me?"  
  
"I don't know, but this proves you're innocent." Tim answered, sliding the report across the table, "Chris, did Michelle or Lauren Johansson ever handle your gun?"  
  
"No, Michelle didn't even know I had a gun – at least I thought she didn't," he said bitterly, picking up the report and studying it. "Does this thing say the other set of prints was Lauren's?"  
  
"It does," Tim sighed and shook his head. "Damn if I know how to explain that, though."  
  
"Maybe her sister can tell you," Hagen offered.  
  
Tim nodded slowly. "I'll be back," he sighed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
"That's not possible!" Michelle screamed, launching across the table to grab the report from Horatio. "My sister is dead. How could her prints possibly be on that gun?"  
  
"I don't know, Michelle, why don't you explain it to us, because your prints and her prints were made at the same time," Tim shot back as the officer held Michelle down in her chair.  
  
"Lieutenant, I need some time to confer with my client," Frank Roth stated nervously.  
  
"I'll bet you do," Horatio deadpanned. He and Tim stepped out into the hallway. "Speed, have you interviewed Mikayla's nanny yet?"  
  
Tim shook his head. "No, nobody has seen the nanny since the day of the murders."  
  
Horatio sighed. "I don't know what is going on here, but I have an odd feeling that the nanny will lead us to Lauren Johansson."  
  
"I have an odd feeling that the nanny is Lauren Johansson," Tim replied.  
  
"Me too, Speed," Horatio nodded. "Me too."  
  
TBC... 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – PG for now  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
This story has been such a great way for me to relieve the stress of my impending wedding – if my mother calls me one more time about bridesmaids' shoes – I swear to God I will scream. I also have a medical procedure due tomorrow, so I'll be out of commission for a couple of days, and thought I'd give you guys two chapters to keep you occupied. (  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Tim sat in the trace lab, examining the evidence they'd found in nanny Julie Binns' apartment that afternoon. He knew exactly what he was looking for – fingerprints. He and Horatio had a hunch, and they were following it.  
  
"Speed," Horatio stepped into the lab and took up his post beside Tim. "What do we have?"  
  
"Well, there wasn't anything in the apartment that just screamed, 'Hey, I'm really Lauren Johansson,' so, we took everything that she might have touched," he explained, "There's got to be DNA or fingerprints somewhere. Problem is, she didn't leave the normal stuff – toothbrush, hairbrush and her apartment was spotless..."  
  
"And you're having a hard time finding fingerprints," Horatio finished for him. Tim nodded.  
  
"Well, keep at it," Horatio encouraged, "We've already placed Lauren Johansson with the gun and in Mikayla's nursery. Now we just need to link her with the nanny."  
  
"Where do you think she is, H?" Tim inquired.  
  
"Honestly? I think she's in Cabo – looking for her sister."  
  
"Yeah," Tim sighed, "Me too."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
"Michelle," Tim questioned, "we found Lauren's fingerprints in Julie Binns' apartment. How do you explain that they got there?"  
  
Michelle swallowed hard and thought for a moment before answering. Tim could see the wheels turning in her brain as she searched for something to say. "I can't," she finally said weakly, beginning to really cry for the first time since they'd taken her into custody.  
  
Horatio sat down beside Michelle. "You weren't supposed to come back, were you Michelle?"  
  
She stared up at him blankly. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Lauren killed your parents, didn't she Michelle?" Horatio asked gently.  
  
"Lauren is DEAD," the teenager exclaimed. "What is wrong with you people?"  
  
"That is where you are wrong, Michelle," Horatio explained. He slid a sheet of paper over to her. "We exhumed Lauren's coffin. It was empty."  
  
Michelle closed her eyes and sank into her chair. Tears rolled down her face and she wiped them away with her fingertips. "Why was the coffin empty, Michelle?" Horatio pressed on.  
  
"I don't know," she cried.  
  
"I think you do, Michelle," Horatio nodded. "Here's what I think happened. I think you faked Lauren's death. Then Lauren returned a few months later, as Mikayla's nanny. Am I right so far?"  
  
Michelle began to sob, and rested her head on the table. Horatio took that as a yes, and continued, "You were supposed to go on vacation, leaving Lauren with Mikayla, and she was supposed to kill your parents, then join you in Cabo."  
  
"How did you get away with faking Lauren's death, Michelle?" Tim took over, hovering behind Michelle. "Because, if it was my kid, I'd demand to see the body."  
  
Michelle glanced over at her lawyer, who nodded weakly and placed a hand on Michelle's arm. "I told my parents it was too awful to see. I told them I was trying to protect them from seeing Lauren like that. I begged them to have a closed coffin," she explained.  
  
"And they believed you," Tim shook his head and sighed.  
  
"They had no reason not to," she said quietly, "I was in the car behind her and saw the whole thing."  
  
"Where is Lauren now, Michelle?" Horatio asked gently. "Don't take the fall for this by yourself."  
  
"No," she said emphatically, "I won't give my sister up."  
  
"That's honorable of you, Michelle," Horatio said with just a hint of sarcasm. "We've got your fingerprints on the gun, and you know we can convict you with that, so you're going to protect her."  
  
"It's the least I can do for her," Michelle said softly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Tim pressed the button on his truck visor to raise the garage door and pulled the truck inside. He could see Leanna and Nicholas through the window on the kitchen door. She was cooking dinner, dancing around the kitchen with Nicholas. Their mother-son tune, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", blared through the garage from the CD player inside the house. He watched Nicholas laugh with delight as Leanna twirled him around, then held his head to dip him. Nick squealed as she brought him back up, his brown eyes wide and twinkling. It was the most beautiful thing Tim had ever seen.  
  
Leanna spun around and realized Tim was in the garage watching them. She threw open the kitchen door; singing at the top of her lungs while Nicholas cackled his approval. Tim started laughing as she danced through the garage, opening his truck door and pulling him out. "You've finally lost your mind," Tim teased when she grasped him around the waist and began swaying along to the music.  
  
"You ought to try it sometime," she shot back, letting go of Tim to dip Nicholas again as the song ended, "It's a lot of fun."  
  
Nicholas bounced in her arms, ready for a little more dancing. "I'll remember that," Tim said sarcastically, reaching out to take Nicholas from Leanna. Nick went willingly into his father's open arms and Tim pressed his face to Nick's ebony curls and breathed in the scent of his son – a powerful combination of baby powder and little boy.  
  
Leanna smiled sympathetically at her husband. "Rough day?" she asked tenderly.  
  
"The worst," he answered honestly, then kissed her, "but coming home to you two makes it better."  
  
She wrapped her arm around his waist and led him inside. "Sit," she commanded, pointing to a barstool. She opened the refrigerator and took out one of his favorite beers, popping the top and handing it to him.  
  
"Something smells good," he commented, taking a swig of the beer. "What are you making?"  
  
"Broiled salmon and penne pasta with a light white sauce," she said slyly, lifting the lid on the saucepot and allowing him to smell.  
  
Tim groaned. "What have you done?" he demanded.  
  
She frowned and replaced the lid. "What do you mean, what have I done?"  
  
He eyed her suspiciously, one eyebrow rising to illustrate his point. "The last time you made broiled salmon and penne pasta, you'd wrecked the car and you were trying to butter me up, so I wouldn't be mad," he reminded her. "So, what did you do this time?"  
  
"Timothy James Speedle," she said with her hands firmly planted on her hips, "did it ever occur to you that maybe I was craving broiled salmon and penne pasta and thought I'd make a nice dinner for my husband?"  
  
Tim choked on his beer at the word "craving." "Holy shit, Lea are you pregnant?"  
  
Leanna shifted her weight to her other foot and stirred the pot, ignoring her husband's question. "We're supposed to be watching our mouths, Tim, he's going to start talking soon and I don't want the first word out of his mouth to be 'shit'."  
  
"Leanna Grace Speedle," he tried her favorite tactic, "are you pregnant?"  
  
Leanna sighed and leaned against the counter. "Lea?" he asked again, his tone more forceful.  
  
"The magic 8-ball says 'maybe'", she confessed. "I'm late."  
  
"How late?" he demanded.  
  
"Almost two weeks," she muttered, almost inaudibly.  
  
"And you're just NOW telling me about this?" he howled.  
  
"Well!" she shrieked in defense, "look at how you're reacting, Tim! I wanted to be more sure than less sure when I told you."  
  
The blood drained out of Tim's face. "I think I'm going to pass out." He handed Nicholas to Leanna and rested his forehead against the cool stone of the countertop. "Oh God," he moaned. Leanna patted his back affectionately. Nicholas joined in, leaning over Leanna's arm to beat on his father's back. "Two kids?" Tim whined. "Sometimes I feel like I'm just keeping my head above water with one."  
  
Leanna sighed again and sat down on the barstool beside him. "I know this is unexpected..."  
  
"That's the understatement of the century," he cut her off.  
  
"Hey, is it my fault I'm fertile?" she shot back; offering him a smile he just couldn't stay mad at.  
  
"No, apparently it's mine," he answered, lifting his head from the counter.  
  
"Honey, it's going to be fine," she assured him. "Whatever the doctor's answer is tomorrow, it's going to be fine."  
  
"We'll see about that, I'm going with you," he said.  
  
TBC...  
  
Yeah, that was cruel, I know it ( 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – We've moved up to R- Timmy felt the need to use the F-word, and he and Lea are arguing, not to give anything away, and I may feel like a little make-up sex later.  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
Please keep in mind, I'm not writing this story like this is April 5th, 2004. The story takes place at an undefined time in the future.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Calleigh sat Mikayla's bouncy seat on the kitchen counter top and tossed open a cabinet door, taking down four of her bottles. Calleigh hummed while she worked, preparing the baby's bag for daycare. She placed four equal scoops of formula into the four sections in the round Tupperware container and snapped the lids shut.  
  
She'd enrolled Mikayla into daycare with Nicholas and yesterday was their first day. During the first hour, Calleigh disappeared for fifteen minutes – Mikayla screamed bloody murder the entire time. During the second hour, when Calleigh disappeared for twenty minutes, Nicholas must have decided he was tired of all the crying and was able to entertain Mikayla for a full ten minutes. During the third hour, she disappeared for a full half hour. By this time, Mikayla was figuring out that even though Calleigh was leaving her, she always came back.  
  
Today, Calleigh was going to leave Mikayla for a full four hours and return to the daycare during her lunch hour. Then she'd leave for another four hours, and return to get Mikayla that evening. "You gonna be good today, little one?" Calleigh asked gently, tickling Mikayla's tummy. The baby laughed and kicked her little arms and legs. "I'll take that as a no," Calleigh laughed.  
  
Horatio watched the display from the hallway, completely engrossed in the scene playing out before him. "Good morning!" Calleigh called out brightly when she noticed him. "We are getting ready for school."  
  
Horatio smiled gently. "I can see that." He stepped up to the counter and leaned against it, touching Mikayla's cheek gently. The baby smiled at him and laughed brightly, reaching for his finger. She finally captured it and immediately stuck the finger into her mouth. "I think she's hungry," Horatio commented.  
  
Calleigh didn't respond, but handed him a jar of oatmeal cereal and a spoon. Horatio popped open the lid and scooped a small spoonful out of the jar, feeding it carefully to Mikayla. "Calleigh....," he said gently.  
  
"Yes, Horatio?"  
  
He took a deep breath and began, "I think it's time you met Michelle."  
  
Calleigh closed her eyes and turned to face the counter, leaning against the edge and biting her bottom lip with uneasiness. "Okay," she replied simply and returned to her tasks.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Tim held Leanna's hand and tapped his foot nervously. 'What in the hell is taking the damned doctor so long?' he wondered. Leanna's hand clamped down on his knee. "Stop," she commanded.  
  
Tim rolled his eyes starting biting his fingernails, anything to distract him for a moment from the news Dr. Tallent would deliver. "What the hell is taking him so long?" he finally asked aloud.  
  
"These things take time, Tim," she sighed, "You know Dr. Tallent isn't going to keep us waiting any longer than he has to."  
  
"How can you be so calm about this?" he asked irritably.  
  
"I just am," she replied, flipping absent-mindedly through a magazine.  
  
Dr. Tallent opened the door and stepped inside. Leanna's OB/GYN was tall and very distinguished looking, with salt and pepper hair and wire-rimmed glasses. Without a word, he sat down on the stool and rolled halfway across the room to the couple. He rested one ankle on his other leg and opened Leanna's chart. Tim fought back the waves of nausea rolling over him and tightened his grip on Leanna's hand, tapping his foot again.  
  
Dr. Tallent swallowed a grin and looked at Tim over the top of his glasses. "Calm down, Tim," he demanded, making a notation in Leanna's chart.  
  
"For God's sake, just tell us!" Tim demanded.  
  
"Well, you're pregnant, Lea," Dr. Tallent answered. Leanna squealed with delight and reached over to hug her husband.  
  
"Oh God," Tim cried out, letting his head fall between his legs. "I think I'm going to pass out."  
  
Leanna rubbed Tim's back and smiled at Dr. Tallent apologetically. "He's been like this since I told him yesterday."  
  
"It happens," Dr. Tallent shrugged. "Don't you want to know when the baby's due?"  
  
"Of course!" Leanna said brightly, abandoning Tim to reach for her Palm Pilot. "Okay, shoot."  
  
"Looks like around December 20th," he stated, making another note on the chart.  
  
"A Christmas baby! How perfect is that?" Leanna cooed, tapping on her palm screen to record the date.  
  
"Maybe for you," Tim griped, his head still between his legs. "I'm serious here, I think I'm going to pass out."  
  
"What is wrong with you?" Leanna asked angrily.  
  
"Nothing a vasectomy won't fix," Tim shot back.  
  
Leanna shifted in her chair, glaring at her husband, hurt clouding her normally brilliant green eyes. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you weren't happy about this," she said quietly, sliding the Palm back into her briefcase. "Doctor," she said formally, "do you need us for anything else?"  
  
Dr. Tallent's eyes darted from Tim to Leanna as if he were watching a tennis match. "No," he answered, shaking his head. "Just make your next appointment on the way out."  
  
She nodded and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks," she whispered.  
  
Tim paced the floor while Leanna made her next appointment; then followed his silent wife out the door and onto a crowded, waiting elevator. She refused to look at him and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. Tim could see tears in his wife's eyes. "Lea," he said quietly, attempting to wrap an arm around her waist. She shrugged out of his embrace and took a step away from him.  
  
He closed the gap between them quickly, whispering into her ear. "Baby," he tried again.  
  
She turned her head toward him and hissed, "Don't 'Baby' me."  
  
The elevator stopped on the first floor and Leanna stalked out, her anger compelling her to walk even faster than her 5'10" frame would normally carry her. She took her set of keys out of her briefcase and opened the door to her Tahoe, climbing in and slamming the door.  
  
Tim climbed into the driver's side, taking a deep breath as he slid his set of keys into the ignition. "Lea," he said gently, reaching out to place his hand on her arm.  
  
She yanked her arm away. "Don't touch me and don't talk to me," she ordered, turning her attention to the window.  
  
"I'm sorry," he offered, "I didn't really mean what I said back there."  
  
"Oh, I think you did," Leanna scoffed, wiping away the tears spilling down her cheeks. "I think you meant every word of it."  
  
"Lea, I just...I wasn't...Fuck, I don't know," he sighed, slouching deep into the leather seat.  
  
"You just what, Tim?" she asked. "You just don't want another child?"  
  
Tim closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "You know that's not it, Lea."  
  
"Then what?" she demanded. She turned to face him, and his heart broke. Her green eyes were reddened by her tears, tears he had caused. He reached out and took her hand, stroking her smooth skin with his fingertips.  
  
"I just didn't want another child this soon," he said quietly.  
  
Leanna shook her head and pulled her hand away again, settling back into her seat. "Well, it's a little late for that," she said angrily.  
  
"Obviously," he muttered, starting the Tahoe.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*  
  
Calleigh held tight to Horatio's hand, pausing outside the interrogation room to take a deep, cleansing breath. Then she looked up at Horatio and nodded. He returned the gesture, kissing his wife on the forehead. She stepped into the room alone, closing the door behind her. Michelle sat at the table alone, and stood when Calleigh stepped inside.  
  
"Where's my daughter?" Michelle demanded.  
  
Calleigh took another deep breath and tried desperately to slow her racing heart down. "She's at school," Calleigh answered calmly. "Horatio said you weren't able to see her yet, so I didn't bring her. Maybe next time."  
  
She sat down at the table, opposite Michelle. "My husband, Lieutenant Caine, wanted us to meet," she said, wringing her hands slightly. "I'm not exactly sure why, but..."  
  
"How is she?" Michelle asked, her tone much more gentle.  
  
Calleigh brightened immediately. "She's fine. She really likes the day care; I think she likes being around all those other babies. She's so funny, have you ever noticed how fast she can change expressions?" she rambled.  
  
Michelle smiled weakly. "Yeah, I've noticed."  
  
"Oh God," Calleigh cringed. "Of course you have, God, what am I saying, you're her mother, of course you've noticed."  
  
"It's okay, Detective," Michelle smiled and took Calleigh's hand in her own. "I know what it's like, everything my Kayla does is totally brilliant, and of course no other child has ever done anything as amazing. You don't have any children of your own, do you?"  
  
Calleigh shook her head. "No," she answered quietly.  
  
"I think you're going to be a great mother," Michelle stated, squeezing Calleigh's hand. "I asked the Lieutenant to meet you. I wanted to ask you if you would take care of my daughter until this is over with, one way or another."  
  
Calleigh breathed a deep sigh of relief. "I would be honored, Michelle."  
  
"Thanks," the younger woman said gratefully, giving Calleigh's hand another squeeze. "I hear that Mikayla really likes you, and that's good enough for me."  
  
"Michelle," Calleigh asked gently. "What if you're convicted, what about Mikayla?"  
  
"I'm going to be convicted, Detective," Michelle answered, "and as far as Mikayla, I don't know, I guess it will depend on the sentence."  
  
"Why don't you just tell my husband where your sister is, Michelle?" Calleigh asked softly. "He knows that you didn't actually pull the trigger. Why are you protecting her?"  
  
Michelle sighed. "Lauren is older than me, did you know that?" Calleigh shook her head and Michelle continued. "Dad took a rather 'unhealthy' interest in me early on – being his namesake and everything. Lauren tried so hard to protect me. Detective, she'd even make me switch rooms with her; trying to fool him into thinking she was me. This is the least I can do for her."  
  
TBC.... 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – Still R- Timmy felt the need to use the F-word AGAIN, you know how he is when he's in a bad mood, plus he and Lea are still arguing. He's really going to have to clean up his language, now that he's going to be a father of two.  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Calleigh stepped out of the interrogation room and leaned against the door. "I guess you heard all of that," she said to Horatio.  
  
He nodded. "I did."  
  
Calleigh smiled weakly at her husband. "And I suppose you already knew she was going to ask us to take Mikayla?"  
  
He returned the smile and wrapped his arm around her tiny waist. "I did," he answered, pressing a gentle kiss to her hair.  
  
"Are you okay with this?" Calleigh asked, stopping in the hallway to face him.  
  
"Now that we have Michelle's blessing, I'm fine," he answered honestly, returning his arm to his wife's waist and beginning to walk again. "Now, if she's going to be living with us long-term, there are some things we need..."  
  
Calleigh beamed and turned in his arms. "Horatio Caine, are you giving this little Southern woman PERMISSION to go spend lots and lots of money?" She fingered the front of his blue silk shirt. "Cause you know how we Southern women just love shopping."  
  
"Yes, I do," he nodded, "Just don't put us into debt for the next fifty years, that's all I ask."  
  
"Nah," she swatted his arm. "Not fifty. Twenty, maybe, but definitely not fifty."  
  
Horatio rolled his eyes and parted from his wife. "I've got work to do," he said, kissing her quickly on the forehead.  
  
Calleigh laughed as he stepped away from her. "If I had an entire day, I could get us to fifty, but I've only got this afternoon, so twenty will have to do," she teased.  
  
"Don't make me regret this, Calleigh Caine," he called from down the hallway.  
  
"Never," she said quietly, heading for the locker room to retrieve her purse.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tim stalked into the locker room, tossed open the door to his locker and threw his bag inside. Then he slammed the door and sat down on the bench. Another child. His mind raced – could they afford another baby? What about daycare and healthcare? Who among their friends would want to watch two kids while he and Leanna spent some quality time together?  
  
He shook the thoughts from his head and stood. Making his way down the hall to the break room, he continued to think. Nicholas had been such a good baby, would this new one be a monster? How much love did he really have to spread around? Could he love this new child as much as he loved Nicholas? It's not like Tim had anything to compare it to. For thirteen years, he'd been an only child. By the time his brother was born, Tim was old enough, and quite happy to fend for himself.  
  
"Good Morning," Eric said brightly from inside the break room, where he was making a cup of coffee. He looked at his watch. "For the next fifteen minutes, that is."  
  
"What the fuck's so good about it?" Speed snarled, picking up his coffee cup and pushing Eric out of the way. He poured the dark liquid into his mug and took a long sip.  
  
Eric stepped back and put his hands up. "Whoa, dude, what's wrong?"  
  
Tim opened his mouth to continue his assault on his best friend, but instead took a deep breath and softened, "I'm sorry, man, it's not your fault."  
  
"Everything's my fault," Eric explained sarcastically. "Didn't you get Val's memo? But seriously, what's wrong?"  
  
Tim took a deep breath and sighed. "Leanna's pregnant," he said quietly.  
  
"Again?" Eric laughed and shook his head. "Don't you know what causes that shit, man?"  
  
"I must have skipped that day of school," Tim answered with a roll of his eyes.  
  
"You? I somehow doubt that," Eric said, "I take it you aren't happy with this little development?"  
  
"It's not that I'm not happy, Delko, it's just that I never wanted two kids under the age of two," he explained. "How did your parents do it, man? All those kids? How did they make sure everybody felt loved?"  
  
Eric shook his head and smiled. "You just do it, Speed. The more love you give, the more love you have to give. That's what my mom always says." Eric stirred his coffee. "So, how exactly did this happen?"  
  
"You want me to give you the specifics?" Tim asked sarcastically.  
  
"Hell, no," Eric cringed. "That'd be a serious case of T.M.I. No, did she stop taking her birth control bills or what?"  
  
Tim shook his head, remembering in vivid detail the night they both thought this 'happened'. "Antibiotics happened, apparently," he answered.  
  
"That's rough, man. What does Leanna think about it?"  
  
"She's thrilled, I guess," Tim sighed. "At least she seems thrilled.... at least she was thrilled, until I made an ass of myself at the doctor's office."  
  
Eric raised his mug in salute. "You do that well."  
  
"Thanks, I pride myself on my ability to make an ass of myself in public."  
  
"So, how are you going to fix it?" Eric asked curiously.  
  
"I don't know," Tim shook his head and sighed. "How would you fix it?"  
  
"Flowers, dinner, a long hot bath and a massage," Eric explained.  
  
Tim nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that might be a start."  
  
"A start?" Eric scoffed. "Man, you really did screw up."  
  
"Let me put it this way. It will be a miracle if I'm still a married man by this afternoon."  
  
Eric put a hand to his heart. "Ouch. Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Calleigh danced around the spare bedroom in their home, preparing Mikayla's new room while singing along to her favorite country station. Rascal Flatts' "Mayberry" blared from the speakers and Calleigh sang at the top of her lungs, nodding her head to the tune, much to Mikayla's delight. The infant sat in her new exer-saucer, playing with the toys Calleigh had scattered across the tray.  
  
"I miss Mayberry," she sang, "sitting on the porch, drinkin' ice-cold cherry Coke, where everything is black and white, nah-nah, nah-nah, nah-ah- nah-ah-nah-ah."  
  
Horatio leaned against the doorframe, hoping he wouldn't startle his wife when she finally turned around. Mikayla gave him away, squealing with delight and shaking her fists when she saw him. Calleigh whipped around, dropping the diaper stacker she was holding. "Hi," she said, slightly embarrassed that her husband had heard her singing.  
  
"You've been busy," he commented, examining Mikayla's new room. Calleigh had bought a crib, a changing table, a matching crib pink crib set, complete with wall hangings and a diaper stacker.  
  
"Only thing I haven't done in here is paint," Calleigh admired her work for about the nine-hundreth time since she started on the room. "But, I thought I'd let you handle that," she said with a wink.  
  
Horatio knelt down beside Mikayla. "What do you think, little one?" he asked gently. She squealed again, throwing her rattle onto the hardwood floor.  
  
"I think she likes it," Horatio grinned.  
  
"Well, I would certainly hope so," Calleigh teased, lifting the infant from the saucer. "She picked it out."  
  
"You picked her up from school didn't you?" Horatio asked with a grin. "Just couldn't leave her there an entire day."  
  
"No," she said defensively, fighting the grin tugging at her lips. "That's not what happened at all. I went to school to feed Mikayla her lunch, then I told her I was going shopping and well, she threw a fit."  
  
"A four-month-old threw a fit?"  
  
"Horatio it was horrible!" Calleigh drawled. "She cried and cried, and when I told her she could go too, she suddenly stopped. A woman after my own heart," she said dramatically, tickling Mikayla's belly.  
  
Horatio laughed. "So, what's the damage?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Really, not as bad as you think," she explained. "I called Lea, asked her to go over my list and there were a lot of Nicholas's things that he's outgrown that she said we could use, so I'll get those from Tim tomorrow." She handed him the thick stack of receipts.  
  
Horatio examined them closely. "You've done well, this only looks like ten years worth of debt."  
  
"I was thinking about nine, but your figure is probably more accurate," she answered playfully.  
  
Horatio rolled his eyes. "What can I do to speed this re-decoration project along, my dear?"  
  
Calleigh's face lit up. She was thrilled that he'd finally accepted Mikayla, and was interested in making her a part of their lives. "You can get your hammer and nails and help me hang the pictures."  
  
"I'll be right back," he said with a nod.  
  
They worked in comfortable silence, hanging pictures, arranging furniture, toys and clothes. Mikayla played in her exer-saucer, completely at-home and comfortable in her new surroundings with Calleigh and Horatio. "I called the lawyer," Horatio said sometime later.  
  
"I'm glad," Calleigh responded. "It'll feel good to make this whole thing legal. Do you really think Michelle's going to prison for life?"  
  
Horatio nodded. "Probably, especially if she refuses to give Lauren up."  
  
"Well, Michelle wants to make sure that Mikayla knows her, and I guess that will mean taking her to the prison for visits every once in a while."  
  
"I think that's fair," Horatio commented, "After all, Mikayla's going to have two mothers, and she needs to know both of them."  
  
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Calleigh asked again. "This whole thing happened so fast. A week ago, we didn't even know this little girl existed and today, we're re-focusing our entire lives to raise her."  
  
Horatio sighed and took Calleigh into his arms. "If you're sure, then I'm sure. I promised I'd give you a baby," he laughed. "Course, I had no idea it'd be this soon."  
  
"Oh, Horatio!" she exclaimed, giving him a tight hug. "I love you, and we're going to be so happy!"  
  
TBC...  
  
TBC... 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – Still R- Timmy refrains from any use of the F-word this time, but I told you guys before I might feel like a little make-up sex, well, here you go!  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret. This chapter is a little long, but I think everyone's ready for Tim and Lea to make up, I know I am. I hate writing them fighting.  
  
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Eric and Valera offered to pick Nicholas up from daycare so that Tim and Leanna could have some time together to work things out. Tim took advantage of the situation, leaving the lab early to go home and prepare a special evening for his wife.  
  
He draped the kitchen table with Leanna's favorite lace tablecloth and set out their crystal candlesticks. He placed the dozen fire-and-ice roses he'd bought for her and a present for the new baby in the center of the table. For dinner, he prepared cilantro chicken and grilled vegetables - the same anniversary dinner he'd made Leanna the day she'd told him she was pregnant with Nicholas.  
  
Tim was sitting at the kitchen table when Leanna came in. She examined the room – the soft candlelight, the flowers, the wonderful smells coming from the oven. "What's all this?" she asked quietly, still obviously upset.  
  
Tim stood from the table and began walking slowly toward his wife. "It's to show you how sorry I am for earlier."  
  
She crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring her husband's pursuit and his sparkling chocolate eyes. "You should be," she spat out. "How could you say that, Tim? We're having a baby. This isn't some puppy you can get rid of because it interferes with your great life plan..."  
  
She was cut off when Tim wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, crushing his lips against hers. "I love you," he moaned against her mouth.  
  
Leanna wiggled out of his embrace. "You think this is going to fix it, Tim? A nice dinner and roses?"  
  
Tim rested against the countertop. Dejected, he hung his head. "I'd kind of hoped," he muttered.  
  
"I'm sure you did," she said sarcastically, exiting the kitchen and starting down the hallway.  
  
Tim followed. "Leanna," he called out as he walked, "Lea, baby, come on."  
  
She stopped in the middle of the hallway and spun around to face him. "Don't Lea me, or baby me. I'm having a child you don't want. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel, Tim?"  
  
Hot, angry tears began spilling out of Leanna's green eyes. Tim pulled his wife into his arms and stroked her auburn curls while she sobbed. "Lea," he whispered, "please don't think for one minute that I don't want this baby, because I do. I just...I wasn't expecting this, and I reacted...badly. I'm sorry."  
  
He cradled her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes. "You and Nicholas and this new baby, you are my entire world, don't you know that?"  
  
"I thought I did," she said softly, "but you hurt me today, Tim, you really hurt me."  
  
"I know I did," he admitted. He scooped Leanna up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her gently on the center of the bed. "Will you stay here for a minute?" he asked gently.  
  
She nodded and reached for a tissue, then curled up on the bed. He returned a minute later with the present he'd bought for their child and handed it to her. "What's this?" she asked.  
  
"Just open it," he answered with a lopsided grin and sat down on the bed beside her.  
  
Leanna sat up and opened the box to reveal a small, soft pink teddy bear. "Tim..." she said quietly.  
  
He reached out and fingered her soft auburn curls. "I'm kind of hoping for a girl this time," he explained. "Nicholas looks so much like me, I thought maybe if we had a girl, she'd look like you. And I can't think of anything more beautiful than a little girl who'd look exactly like you." He touched her face gently. "These gorgeous green eyes I couldn't forget, even when I wanted to." He ran his hand through her hair. "And this hair – can't you just see her, Lea? With those little red curls, just like you had when you were a baby?"  
  
"I looked like Shirley Temple," Leanna said with a small laugh.  
  
"No, you're too beautiful to ever look like Shirley Temple," he answered tenderly, "just like our daughter will be."  
  
"What if it's another boy?" she asked softly.  
  
He grinned again and started to laugh. "Well, then I guess he'll look a little bit like Opie Taylor."  
  
"Oh, Tim," she sobbed, collapsing into his arms. "I love you so much."  
  
He titled Leanna's face up to his and gently kissed her lips. "I love you," he said, kissing her neck softly. "And I love Nicholas," he said, trailing his lips over her collarbone, "and I love the new baby," he said, kissing the soft spot between her neck and shoulders and rubbing her still- flat stomach.  
  
Leanna rested back on the bed, pulling Tim on top of her. "Well," she responded, fingering the buttons on his shirt. "I love you," she said, releasing one button, "and I love Nicholas," she said, releasing another button, "and I love the new baby," she said, releasing a third button.  
  
"We've, uh, got a lot of love goin' on around here," Tim teased, sliding Leanna's navy blue skirt up her thigh.  
  
"Maybe enough for three kids," she answered, finishing with his shirt and unbuttoning his jeans, sliding the zipper down.  
  
Tim groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh no, I wasn't kidding about the vasectomy. We agreed on two kids, and that's what we'll have very soon."  
  
"You'd do that for me?" she asked coyly, pushing his shirt over his shoulders. "You'd get the little snip-snip?"  
  
Tim's chocolate eyes sparkled with desire as he removed her skirt. "Not if you keep talking about it that way," he answered playfully.  
  
"Okay, you win," she said seductively, bringing his hand up to her breast. He teased her through the silky fabric of her bra, gently pinching and stroking her nipples. "Guess I better play with these while I still can," he teased, removing the bra and bringing his mouth down to the taut ivory peaks.  
  
"Um-hum," she moaned with pleasure, "Cause right around December 20th, they won't belong to you for a while."  
  
"The things a father has to sacrifice for his children," Tim shook his head and grinned.  
  
Leanna's fingers enveloped him and he groaned. "But, if you didn't sacrifice anything," she explained, "I'd have nothing to reward you for."  
  
"I need rewards," he moaned, "lots of them." He slipped his fingers beneath her thong and into her silky wetness. Leanna moaned his name as he stroked her. "Do you remember," he asked, his voice husky with need, "how good it was the night we made this baby?" He kissed a wet trail down the side of her neck.  
  
"I remember," she answered, running her thumb over his tip. "It felt like we made love all night."  
  
"Started in the kitchen," he reminded her, slipping his fingers out of her and replacing them with his length. Leanna's eyes rolled back in her head as he filled her. "I'll never look at that countertop the same way again," he teased, moving slowly inside her.  
  
"Or the dining room table, or your recliner, or the hallway..." she said brazenly, running her fingers down the outside of his thighs, enjoying the feel of him inside her.  
  
"We were pretty wild that night," he commented, still stroking her slowly, trying to draw their lovemaking out as long as possible. He kissed her gently, slowly, teasing the sides of her mouth with his tongue.  
  
"Crazy," she agreed, digging her fingernails into his back, silently begging him for more, "insatiable."  
  
He responded to her unspoken request, intertwining their fingers while increasing the tempo. "I love you, Lea," he whispered as he brought her over the edge. "I love you too, Tim," she responded as the orgasm washed over her, bringing Tim along with it. He held her there, gently kissing her and stroking her hair with his fingertips.  
  
"So, what do you want to name her?" Leanna asked sometime later.  
  
Tim grinned and kissed along the side of her neck. "You sure you want to start this again?" he asked curiously. "We couldn't agree on a damned thing until Nick was born."  
  
Leanna swatted him playfully. "I'm hoping you're better with girls names than you were with boys' names," she answered, running her fingers down his toned arm. "I'm going to get big again," she said wistfully.  
  
"First of all, you weren't 'big' the first time, Lea. You were pregnant, there's a difference. And second of all, you've always been gorgeous and incredibly sexy, but if you'll remember, I could barely keep my hands off you when you were pregnant with Nick," he reminded her.  
  
"Wow, you really are sorry," she teased. "Dinner, flowers, a teddy bear and compliments."  
  
"Yeah, speaking of dinner, it's probably burned by now," he said, making an effort to move off her.  
  
She grabbed his arms, and pulled him back down. "I don't care," she explained, running a finger down his chest. "There's cold pizza in the fridge."  
  
Tim laughed and kissed her lightly. "Okay, that's fine, but can I at least go turn the oven off before our house burns down?"  
  
"If you must," she sighed dramatically, pushing him off of her. He grinned and stood, sliding into his boxer shorts. He reached for his jeans, but Leanna shook her finger at him. "Nuh-uh, nothing else, mister. You've got plenty of clothes on right now."  
  
"Slavedriver," he teased, shooting her a fake glare as he made his way out of their bedroom. Leanna stretched her naked form luxuriously across the bed, eliciting a groan from deep within her husband. He walked quickly down the hallway and turned the oven off, then reached for the potholders to remove the burned chicken. He sat it in the sink and opened the refrigerator door. He took out the pizza box and two sodas, then grabbed some napkins and headed back down the hall.  
  
Leanna was propped up on the bed with her book of baby names. He knew she was still naked under the covers and the thought was driving him wild. She looked up at him and grinned. "I took a chance," he said, handing the pizza box to her.  
  
"You read my mind," she congratulated him, flipping open the box and taking out a slice of supreme.  
  
"Yeah, that's why I'm a good husband, I can anticipate my pregnant wife's cravings," he answered sarcastically.  
  
"That and a million other reasons," she nodded, then flipped the book back open. "Allison."  
  
"I knew a girl in high school named Allison, and I couldn't stand her," Tim answered, sliding back under the covers with his slice of pizza.  
  
"Amy," she tried again.  
  
"I like Amy," he nodded, "I could live with Amy."  
  
"Nah, it can't be that easy," she shook her head and frowned. "We're only on page one."  
  
"Well, keep going, there's bound to be something else I like better," he shot back.  
  
"Ashley?"  
  
Tim cringed. "Too cheerleader-ish."  
  
"It is not!" Leanna scoffed. "I had a good friend named Ashley and she was a brainiac like me."  
  
"But on the whole, what do you think of when you hear the name Ashley, or Brittany, or Courtney?" he asked. Leanna opened her mouth to protest, then frowned. "Okay, fine, those three are off the list."  
  
"Nicholas is a good strong name," Tim explained, taking the book away from her. "Our daughter needs a strong name, too. Something that will fit, no matter which role she takes on in life."  
  
He flipped through the pages, scanning the list of names. Bailey, Brooke, Brianna – 'no, no and no,' he thought. Cassandra, Caroline – 'Caroline maybe'; Hannah, Madeline, then he saw it. He closed the book and handed it back to her. "Olivia," he announced.  
  
Leanna swallowed a grin and calmly took the book from him. "Olivia what?" she asked curiously. Tim had chosen her favorite name, and she was having a difficult time concealing her excitement.  
  
He eyed her suspiciously; then stated, "Olivia Grace. Nick's got my middle name, so it's only fair that she have yours."  
  
"I told you you'd be better with girls' names," she said, writing the name down on a piece of paper.  
  
Tim leaned against the pillows and put one arm above his head. "Yeah, it really helps when I pick your favorite name out of the whole book, doesn't it?" he grinned.  
  
Leanna rolled her eyes and scoffed at the suggestion. "I don't know what you are talking about!"  
  
Tim laughed. "Right, Lea. You should have seen your face when I said Olivia. I hit the nail right on the head, baby."  
  
"Keep congratulating yourself, honey," she said sarcastically.  
  
He nodded. "That's right, because I'm the only one who's gonna do it."  
  
"You've been hanging out with Eric far too much recently," she frowned. "You're even starting to sound like him."  
  
Tim grinned and sat the pizza box on the floor. Then he took Leanna's slice from her and placed it on top. Sliding over to her, he ran his finger up her leg. She inhaled sharply and leaned in to his touch. He kissed the side of her neck again, allowing his tongue to trace a path upward to her ear. "So congratulate me," he demanded gently. "I need another of those rewards you promised."  
  
Leanna giggled and slipped her hand beneath the comforter and onto his thigh, slowing snaking upward. "Mmm, when you get rewarded, I definitely get rewarded."  
  
"Hell of a plan, Lea," he moaned, "hell of a plan."  
  
TBC..... 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – Back to PG-13 for now.  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
I'm trying to get this story wrapped up before the last two weeks of insane craziness before the wedding. I'd hate to leave you guys hanging for almost a month!  
  
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"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Calleigh asked Tim the next morning as he poured a cup of coffee.  
  
He laughed and took a sip of the hot liquid. "Because I am a lucky man, Cal, I am a lucky, lucky man."  
  
"Well, I could have told you that a long time ago!" she teased. "Care to tell me what's brought on this sudden revelation?"  
  
"My beautiful wife is pregnant again," he explained. "And I'm convinced that, this time, we're going to have a girl."  
  
"Well, well," Calleigh shook her head. "That's amazing! Lea didn't say anything when I talked to her yesterday. I guess you'll be needing all that stuff you were supposed to bring me today."  
  
"Not for a while," he shook his head. "By the time our kid's ready for that stuff, Mikayla will have outgrown it. Speaking of Mikayla, what's happening with Michelle today?"  
  
Calleigh sighed deeply. "She's working on a deal with the District Attorney. She's an accomplice, and the D.A. doesn't want to settle for anything less that Murder 1."  
  
"I'm sorry, Cal," Tim placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Calleigh shook her head. "I just don't understand it, Tim. Michelle didn't pull the trigger, Lauren did – we know that. Why won't Michelle help us find her? Would you take the rap all by yourself?"  
  
"I'm not that close to my brother, so I can't answer that," Tim explained. "But if everything Michelle says is true, then I can understand why she's doing it."  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Calleigh sighed. Her cell phone rang at her hip and she answered it. "Calleigh Caine."  
  
Calleigh listened intently for a moment; then snapped the phone shut. "Horatio's got a location on Lauren," she stated plainly, taking Tim's mug away from him and pouring the contents down the sink.  
  
"What...how?" Tim stammered.  
  
"Phone tap on the Johansson's line. The maid answered and she was able to keep Lauren on the phone until the tracer came back," Calleigh explained as she made her way to the door.  
  
Tim held it open for her; then followed her into the hallway. "Well, where is she?"  
  
Calleigh laughed bitterly. "She's in Cabo San Lucas, just like we thought she'd be – in the same hotel Michelle had checked into."  
  
"So, where exactly are we going?" Tim questioned as he nearly ran to keep up with Calleigh's pace.  
  
"To talk to Michelle," Calleigh answered plainly.  
  
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"We found Lauren, Michelle," Calleigh explained, sitting on a stool outside Michelle's holding cell.  
  
Color drained from the younger woman's face and she sat down hard on her bed. "No," she stammered, "that's not possible."  
  
"She called the house, Michelle," Tim said gently. "She was asking about you and the baby."  
  
"You traced the call?" Michelle exclaimed.  
  
"Of course we did, Michelle," Calleigh said softly, resting her hand on Michelle's leg through the bars. "Unfortunately for you, you're not dealing with a bunch of amateurs here."  
  
"But, why can't you just leave her alone? I'm here, I confessed, I'm going to prison for the rest of my life! Why can't you people just be happy with that?" Michelle cried, resting her face in her hands.  
  
"Because that wouldn't be right, Chelle," Chris Dougan said from behind them, startling them all. Chris bypassed Tim and Calleigh and knelt in front of Michelle's cell. Tim eyed Horatio curiously – the older man only shrugged, as if it were completely normal to let a visitor into the holding area.  
  
"Chris," she sobbed, grasping him as best she could through the bars. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to involve you in this," she rambled. "I was desperate, and I knew they couldn't pin anything on you."  
  
"It's okay," he soothed her, "I know, baby, I know."  
  
"They're going to put Lauren away, Chris," Michelle continued to cry. "You have to stop them."  
  
"I can't," he answered, stroking her hair with his fingertips, "You know I can't. Lauren did a terrible thing, and she's got to pay for it."  
  
"But she did it for me," Michelle argued, her eyes pleading with Chris' for understanding. "She did it for me and Kayla."  
  
"What do you mean she did it for Kayla?" Chris asked curiously, wiping the tears streaming from Michelle's eyes.  
  
"My father," she choked on the words. "He touched..."  
  
"Oh God," Chris sank back on his heels. "He touched Mikayla?"  
  
"Yes," she nodded furiously, now oblivious to the three cops standing behind Chris. "Lauren saw it and she told me, and that's when we decided that he had to die. There was no stopping him, Chris, he was evil."  
  
"So, Lauren killed him?"  
  
"Yes, but that's not what was supposed to happen. I was going to leave for Mexico, then come back, just like I did. Lauren was supposed to have Kayla and my mother out of the house, but..."  
  
"Mikayla came down with the ear infection," Calleigh stated.  
  
Michelle stared up at Calleigh, her blue eyes wide with fear. "Yes," she nodded. "Kayla had fallen asleep, and my mother refused to go out while she was asleep. Lauren tried calling my cell phone, but I had it off."  
  
"Then what happened?" Calleigh asked.  
  
"I came in, found my father in his study. I pulled the gun and I yelled at him, told him everything I thought of him. But, when it came right down to it, I couldn't pull the trigger," she sobbed.  
  
"And Lauren finished the job for you?" Tim asked.  
  
"Yes," she nodded. "She heard us arguing and came down the back stairs. My father had pushed past me and was headed upstairs. Lauren took the gun away from me and shot him."  
  
"But why kill your mother, too?" Calleigh asked gently.  
  
"She knew," Michelle spat out bitterly, as if the words were poison on her lips. "All those years, she knew. And she did nothing to stop him...but we did."  
  
The three detectives stared at one another. "Who killed your mother, Michelle?" Tim finally choked out.  
  
"I did," she said eerily. "I killed her."  
  
"Are you sure?" Chris demanded. "You said that Lauren killed them both."  
  
"I lied," she answered, her eyes void of emotion. "I killed that bitch."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I think she's lying," Calleigh paced the floor of Horatio's office. "I think she's lying to keep Lauren from being charged with two counts of first-degree murder."  
  
"I agree," Tim stated, following Calleigh's path across Horatio's office with his eyes.  
  
Horatio nodded. "Me too, but we can't prove it. Michelle's prints are on the gun, along with Lauren's. We can't really prove who shot who."  
  
"There's got to be something we can do, Horatio," Calleigh exclaimed, collapsing onto the couch. "Some way to prove it."  
  
"We don't know what she was wearing that night, or we could test her clothes," Tim said.  
  
"And, if she touched the gun after it was fired, she would have had GSR on her hands, even if she hadn't fired it," Horatio explained.  
  
"So, what do we do?" Calleigh demanded. "Wait until Lauren gets here for her version of the story?"  
  
"Yes," both men answered weakly. "That's all we can do, Cal," Horatio added gently.  
  
"No, it's not!" Calleigh exclaimed, rising from the couch and storming out of Horatio's office.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tim pulled his truck into the garage and lowered the door behind him. He stepped into the kitchen and placed his keys on the baker's rack. "I'm home," he called out, waiting for a reply.  
  
"In here," Leanna beckoned from the living room. Nicholas was sitting contentedly in her lap, reading a book. Tim knelt down beside them and examined the small, hardbound book. "I'm The Big Brother," he read the title. "I don't remember this being on your Book of the Month reading list, Lea," he teased.  
  
"Shut up and kiss me," she demanded playfully. He was only too happy to oblige, closing his eyes and letting his lips linger on hers. "I love you," he sighed against her mouth.  
  
"I love you, too," she said happily. "Now watch this." She pointed at Tim, then asked Nicholas, "Nick, who's that?"  
  
"Dadda," the little boy said happily, reaching out for Tim.  
  
Tim took his son into his arms and stared at him with wide-eyed amazement. Leanna laughed happily, resting back in the recliner.  
  
"He's been doing that ever since we got home this afternoon," she explained. "We walked down the hall past our family picture, and he said 'Dadda'. We came in here and I pointed at the T.V., asking him whose it was, and he said 'Dadda'. I'm telling you, Tim, the kid's a genius," she said proudly.  
  
"Well, he obviously gets that from you," Tim grinned, kissing Nicholas on the forehead. "Can you say Momma?" he asked.  
  
Nicholas laughed and threw his body back, his father catching him just in time. "Say, Momma," Tim requested again.  
  
Nicholas shook his head and pointed at Leanna. "Oh, give it up, honey," she said, "They always say Dadda first. I can live with it."  
  
"DADDA!" Nicholas exclaimed again, obviously quite pleased with himself.  
  
Tim cradled Nicholas tightly, swinging him gently and pressing kisses to the boy's ebony curls. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that," Tim said.  
  
"I'll remind you of that when he starts screaming 'Dadda' at three in the morning, instead of just screaming," Leanna winked.  
  
"Dadda!" Nicholas said again, laughing brightly. He started to jump up and down in Tim's arms. "Dadda, Dadda, Dadda!"  
  
"Maybe I spoke too soon," Tim said, following Leanna into the kitchen with Nicholas still jumping in his arms. "Dude, I'm gonna drop you if you don't stop," he warned.  
  
"Dadda!" Nicholas repeated.  
  
"Got that word down cold, Sport, let's try another one."  
  
"Tim, he's not going to say Momma yet, get over it," Leanna teased, stirring the pot of spaghetti sauce.  
  
He rolled his eyes at his wife. "You think you know me so well, don't you?" He held Nicholas up in front of him. "Son, say beer."  
  
"NOT funny!" Leanna exclaimed, tossing a wadded up towel at Tim. Nicholas laughed, but wouldn't say anything.  
  
Tim opened the refrigerator and took out a cold can. "Beer," he said again. Nicholas laughed and reached for the can.  
  
"You are officially a bad influence," Leanna frowned, rescuing her son from her husband. "Can we change the subject? What's new with the case?"  
  
Tim shrugged. "Hell, I don't know. This damn case has more twists than a freakin' roller coaster. Now, Michelle's confessed to murdering the mother."  
  
"Why would she do that?" Leanna asked curiously, scooping a tiny bit of sauce onto a spoon and holding it out for Tim to taste.  
  
"Needs more oregano," he told her. "Well, we found Lauren in Cabo. Mexican authorities arrested her and she's being extradited to the States. We think Michelle's trying to keep Lauren from being charged with two counts of murder."  
  
"Wow," Leanna shook her head. "I've heard of twins being exceptionally close, but this is insane."  
  
"You're telling me," Tim agreed, popping open the beer he'd taken from the refrigerator.  
  
"Can you prove Michelle's lying?" Leanna asked.  
  
"Not forensically," he explained, shaking his head. "And Calleigh's up to something, I just don't know what," he frowned.  
  
TBC.... 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – Back to PG-13 for now.  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
Nicholas is being quite the little stinker in this chapter, as you'll soon see. Special thanks to my seven beautiful, amazing, brilliant and talented nieces and nephews for being little monsters at various times, providing Aunt Nonnie with much, much inspiration!  
  
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Calleigh paced the interrogation room nervously, cradling Mikayla on her hip. "What am I doing?" she thought to herself, glancing down at the tiny infant, who was chewing on her hair. She smiled gently at Mikayla and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm doing this for your Momma, kiddo," Calleigh explained, "and for you and me and Horatio."  
  
The door opened and a uniformed officer led Michelle inside. She gasped loudly when she saw Mikayla and immediately began sobbing.  
  
"You checked her for any kind of weapon?" Calleigh asked the officer.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," he nodded. "She's clean."  
  
"Thanks," Calleigh said gratefully. "You can take the handcuffs off, but I want you to stay inside the room with us."  
  
The officer nodded and crossed over to Michelle, taking the cuffs off. Calleigh then handed Mikayla to her. Mother and daughter stared at each other in wonder. "Hi, baby girl," Michelle cooed, caressing her daughter's blonde curls. "Hi, Kayla."  
  
Mikayla smiled at her mother and kicked her legs happily. "I swear, you're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you," Michelle cried, wiping the tears from her eyes.  
  
"Can you really leave her for the rest of your life, just to save your sister a second life sentence?" Calleigh asked quietly, sitting down beside them.  
  
"Detective Caine, we've been over this," Michelle said weakly. "I killed my mother."  
  
"Call me Calleigh, please. And honestly, I think you're lying."  
  
Michelle sighed and looked down at her daughter. "Everything I'm doing, I'm doing for her, don't you understand that?"  
  
"No, I don't. You think it's best for her to grow up with her mother in prison?" Calleigh demanded. "Michelle, you're an accomplice, not the murderer. All the evidence points to the fact that Lauren killed both your parents, not you. If you'd just give her up, the D.A. could go so easy on you, don't you understand that?"  
  
Michelle shook her head and sobbed. "I can't Calleigh, because that's not the truth. I wish you'd believe me. It would make things so much easier."  
  
"Michelle..." Calleigh sighed. "Michelle...please."  
  
Michelle lifted Mikayla onto her lap, holding her up by the sides so that the baby was standing. "Kayla," she said quietly, pressing a kiss to the baby's forehead, "Calleigh's going to be your new Mommy. She's going to take really good care of you. I can tell she's a good woman, because she wants so badly to believe that I'm innocent, and I wish to God I could tell her I am, but I'm not."  
  
"You're going to have a wonderful life, Kayla," she continued, as Calleigh began weeping. "She's going to love you so much, just as much as I do. I'm doing what's best for you, Kayla. You deserve to have a real mother and a real father. I hope someday you'll understand that."  
  
Michelle handed Mikayla to Calleigh and stood. "I'm ready to go now," she told the officer, who stared at Calleigh in shock. Calleigh nodded weakly and the officer crossed over to Michelle, who stuck her wrists out. "Thank you, Calleigh, for letting me see her again," Michelle said. "You'll never know how much it meant to me. Take care of our little girl."  
  
Calleigh sat in the interrogation room, stunned and weeping. Mikayla grasped Calleigh's hair and stuck a slice of it into her mouth. Horatio leaned against the doorframe and waited. Mikayla gave him away again, shaking her fists and squealing in greeting. Calleigh stared up at him, wiping away the tears falling from her eyes.  
  
"Well, I see there's no sneaking up on you, Kayla," Horatio teased, reaching down to take the infant away from Calleigh. Mikayla squealed again, then laughed, leaning back in his strong embrace.  
  
"She learned that from Nicholas," Calleigh complained gently, pulling a tissue out of her pocket and dabbing her eyes. "I damned near dropped that boy the other day when he did that."  
  
Horatio knelt beside his wife and smiled. "You heard the whole thing, didn't you?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.  
  
"Who me?" Horatio said innocently. "I come home, find that you and Kayla aren't there, I get curious, come back here, and low and behold..."  
  
"Here I am, disobeying both your orders and Social Services' orders," she cut him off.  
  
Horatio smiled gently. "Yes, but, you did what you thought was best for Michelle. Calleigh, I don't want Michelle to go to prison any more than you do, but if she won't help us get Lauren, I can't help her."  
  
"I know," Calleigh cried, wiping more tears from her face. "I just thought, maybe, if she saw Mikayla, she'd realize what she's doing isn't worth it."  
  
"It was definitely worth a shot, Cal," Horatio praised her.  
  
She smiled weakly and stroked his cheek. "Sometimes, I realize just how much I don't deserve you," she said softly.  
  
"One of these days, woman," he shook his head, taking her hand and helping her stand from the chair, "you're going to realize that it is I who doesn't deserve you." He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and led her into the hallway. "Now, I got a call earlier that Kayla's boyfriend has requested her company this evening. He was making spaghetti and everything."  
  
Calleigh rolled her eyes and swatted his chest. "Trying to marry her off already, Horatio?"  
  
"Absolutely not," he answered, kissing Mikayla on the forehead and then giving the baby his best "serious" face. "You're not getting married until you're 60, or I die, whichever happens first."  
  
Mikayla gurgled a reply and bounced happily in Horatio's arms. "I'm not sure I want her hanging out with Nicholas," Calleigh frowned. "She's learning way too much from him."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Man, seeing the baby did nothing?" Tim asked, not believing the story that Calleigh and Horatio were unfolding.  
  
"Not a thing," Calleigh responded, twirling her fork in the spaghetti. "She still says she killed her mother. I give up."  
  
Nicholas and Mikayla sat beside each other, laughing, each in their own high chair. Both babies were covered from head to toe in spaghetti and sauce.  
  
Horatio watched the children smear spaghetti sauce over themselves and their trays, shaking his head in dismay. "I hope you didn't buy that high chair just for us," Horatio said absent-mindedly.  
  
Leanna's fork stopped halfway to her mouth and she stared at her husband. "Didn't you tell him?" she asked.  
  
Tim grinned sheepishly. "I forgot. I did tell Calleigh, though."  
  
"And I forgot to tell you too, honey," Calleigh explained, putting her hand on Horatio's arm. "Leanna's pregnant."  
  
"Well," Horatio sighed, clearly upset by the revelation that he'd been out of the loop for almost an entire day. "Congratulations."  
  
The kitchen door flew open and Eric and Valera stepped inside. "You started without us?" Eric asked, a frown set across his features.  
  
"You snooze, you lose," Tim shot back.  
  
"You said you weren't sure you were coming," Leanna explained, hopping up to get more plates.  
  
Valera stepped over to the babies and leaned down to kiss Nicholas. "Yuck," she said instead, picking a noodle off his nose. "I can't believe you let him eat like that," she complained.  
  
"Wait, wait," Leanna said excitedly, crossing back over to Nicholas. She pointed at Tim. "Nick, who's that?"  
  
"DADDA!" he said brightly, picking up a handful of spaghetti and tossing it at Tim.  
  
"Yeah," Tim sighed and rolled his eyes, picking the spaghetti noodles off his shirt. "Not necessary, Lea."  
  
Eric laughed hysterically. "No man, it's on now. Nick, who's that?" he asked, pointing at Tim.  
  
"DADDA!" Nicholas said again, hurling another fistful of spaghetti at his father.  
  
"Oh, I'm in pain," Eric gasped for air as he continued to laugh, "Who taught him that?"  
  
"Please stop encouraging my son to throw food, Delko," Tim warned, shooting a nasty glare at his best friend.  
  
"Speed, I'm the uncle. This is what we do. Get over it," Eric explained.  
  
"You just wait, Delko, your kid's first gift from me is going to be either an electric guitar or a drum set," Tim threatened. "Paybacks are hell."  
  
Valera picked a stray noodle out of Tim's hair. "Just remember, Tim, whatever you do to Eric, you do to me, and I'm not the one laughing."  
  
"I like her," Tim said to Leanna as she sat down on his lap. "Can we keep her and get rid of Eric?"  
  
"We're a package deal, jackass. Can't get one without the other," Eric fired back. Eric twirled spaghetti around his fork and took a huge bite. "Damn, Leanna, I bow once again at your feet. This is awesome."  
  
"Thank you," she smiled brightly. Tim softly kissed the back of Leanna's neck, allowing his lips to linger on his wife's soft skin. She sighed gently, leaning into his loving embrace and bringing his left hand up to rest on her stomach. He intertwined their fingers and unconsciously traced circles on the soft black fabric of her shirt.  
  
They were completely wrapped up in their own world until Horatio cleared his throat. Leanna stood and leaned down to kiss Tim again. They smiled against the other's lips and Tim tugged playfully on her khaki capris. "Calleigh," she asked, "shall we hose the children off?"  
  
Calleigh glanced over at Mikayla, whose blonde hair was now tinted with red spaghetti sauce. Stray noodles hung from her hair and ears and Mikayla beat her fists on the tray, sending sauce flying. "Inside or out?" Calleigh frowned.  
  
"You run the bathwater, I'll wrap them up," Leanna said, reaching into a low cabinet for a large plastic tablecloth. Calleigh stood and headed down the hall to the bathroom. Leanna took the tray off Mikayla's high chair and wrapped the baby up in the tablecloth. She carried Mikayla down the hall and into the spare bathroom.  
  
"Leanna, you are unbelievably brilliant!" Calleigh exclaimed, gently unwrapping Mikayla from the tablecloth.  
  
"Keeps me clean and slimy fingerprints off the walls," Leanna explained as Calleigh pulled Kayla's diaper off and placed her in the water.  
  
Leanna started off down the hallway, hearing Nicholas scream "Dadda" again as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.  
  
"Damn it, Delko," Tim griped, picking noodles out of his hair again while Eric and Nicholas laughed. "I swear to God I'm gonna kick your ass."  
  
Leanna wrapped her arms around Tim's neck. "Don't worry, honey, I'll give you a bath later, too."  
  
"Ummm, you promise?" Tim asked seductively, tilting his head back to kiss his wife.  
  
"Christ, I'm eating here," Eric complained.  
  
"That's the price you pay, my man," Tim explained. "I could tell you all about last night. The flowers and dinner were a great idea, by the way. And the sex, damn, dude, it was..." Leanna clamped her hand over Tim's mouth, preventing him from giving any further details of their sex life to his best friend. Tim kissed the inside of Leanna's hand, pleased with the effect he'd had on Eric, as the color drained out of the younger man's face.  
  
"Man, I'm gonna throw up," Eric said, pushing his plate away. "I could have lived the rest of my life without ever having to think about your naked ass, now you go and implant that image in my brain."  
  
"Isn't there a ballgame on?" Horatio shook his head, changing the subject, while Leanna wrapped Nicholas into the tablecloth.  
  
She rolled her eyes and stepped into the bathroom. She unwrapped her son from the tablecloth and stripped his diaper off, placing him in the lukewarm water. "So, what are you going to do about Mikayla?" she asked.  
  
Calleigh shrugged. "Michelle's made it very clear that she wants us to adopt Mikayla, so I guess that's what we're going to do."  
  
"Well, that's good. Are you okay with that?" Leanna asked.  
  
Calleigh took a cup and poured water over Mikayla's shoulder, rinsing some of the spaghetti sauce off. "I'm great with it," she answered. "I can't imagine a more perfect baby, even if I had given birth to her."  
  
"Well, I'm thrilled for you, and I know Tim is too," Leanna said, taking her hand off Nicholas for a moment to lather shampoo in her hands. She rubbed it gently into his curls, despite his fierce protests. Nicholas screamed and slammed his fists into the water, sending it spraying into Mikayla's eyes. She immediately began wailing and Calleigh wiped the water off her face.  
  
"Well, don't get spaghetti sauce in your hair next time, son," Leanna said sarcastically, tilting Nicholas back to pour water over his head. He shook his head violently and frowned when she sat him back up. "Dadda!" he said forcefully, splashing the water with his fists again.  
  
"Ooh, don't you even start that!" Leanna warned, laughing as she said it. "Just wait, Cal, just wait," she shook her head, "They get even more fun as they get older. I can't wait till he learns 'no'." She made quick work of Nicholas's bath and lifted him from the water.  
  
Calleigh mirrored Leanna's movements, washing Mikayla's hair and cleaning her off. She lifted Kayla from the bathtub and wrapped her into a thick towel. She carried the baby into Nicholas's room, where Leanna had Nick on the changing table, putting a new diaper on him while Nicholas tried to eat a tube of Desitin. "I said no-no, Nick," Leanna commanded, taking the tube from him. Nicholas screamed again and kicked his legs. "Dadda!" he called out defiantly.  
  
"Okay, fine," she sighed, putting him into pajamas and carrying him into the living room, where the guys and Valera were spread out across the furniture, watching the ballgame. She deposited him on Tim's lap. "He wants Dadda," she winked at her husband.  
  
Tim frowned. "Olivia's gonna have to learn Momma first, this is getting ridiculous."  
  
"You're the one who said you'd never get tired of hearing it," she reminded him.  
  
"That was five o'clock," he called after her retreating form. "It's now three hours later, and it's not so cute anymore."  
  
"Too bad, so sad," she answered, beckoning Valera with her finger. The younger woman jumped up and grinned. Leanna then turned to Calleigh. "Drop the baby off with your husband and come with me. We have chick stuff to do."  
  
Calleigh laughed and handed Mikayla to Horatio, who gratefully accepted the tiny package, pressing a kiss to Kayla's temple while the little girl laughed brightly and snuggled deep into his embrace. Calleigh followed Leanna and Valera into the kitchen. Leanna took out a bottle of champagne and a bottle of sparkling cider; then took three champagne glasses from the china cabinet.  
  
She filled the glasses, handing one to both Valera and Calleigh; then raised her own. "To Cal – the newest Mommy in our little group. May every laugh and every smile your daughter gives you make up for the times that she's going to be a horrid little monster!"  
  
Valera nearly choked on her champagne. "And that started out so sweetly, Lea."  
  
Leanna raised her glass again and directed her attention to Valera. "And to our darling Val – who has now lost two of her best friends to an eight o'clock bedtime!"  
  
"Hear, hear," Calleigh laughed, taking a sip of her champagne.  
  
"You guys suck," Valera laughed. "I'm the lone woman out now, you know that?"  
  
Calleigh shrugged. "So, have one of your own."  
  
Valera rolled her eyes. "I already do. He's twenty-nine years old and his name is Eric. He's the only child I can handle for now."  
  
"I heard that!" Eric bellowed from the living room.  
  
"Good!" she shouted back.  
  
"You three are having entirely too much fun in there while we men are doing all the work in here," Tim hollered.  
  
Horatio's cell phone rang and he answered it quickly. "Caine," he said. He listened for a moment; then snapped his phone shut. Tim and Eric looked at their boss expectantly. "Lauren Johansson will be here at 10 in the morning," he explained.  
  
Tim nodded and glanced down at Nicholas, who was sitting between his father's legs, watching the game. Tim stroked Nicholas's curls and sighed. "I just can't imagine anybody wanting to hurt their kids like Michael Johansson did."  
  
"Me neither," Eric said as the mood in the room changed dramatically. Valera stepped into the living room and sat down beside her husband, gently stroking his arm. He shook his head and continued, "We keep talking about having kids, but it's scary. How do you protect them these days?"  
  
Leanna lifted Nicholas from Tim's lap and sat down. "You just have to be brave, Eric, that's all," she explained. "It's not easy now and Nick's not even a year old. I can't imagine what life's going to be like when he's fifteen or sixteen."  
  
"I'm locking him in the basement," Tim muttered.  
  
"We don't have a basement," Leanna said sarcastically.  
  
"I'll build one," he shot back. "And Olivia's going to the convent."  
  
"Give me the address," Horatio said, gently fingering Mikayla's curls. "We may send Kayla there too."  
  
They all laughed weakly. "Well, it's getting late," Horatio finally said, "And this little girl has had a big day." As if on cue, Mikayla yawned and batted her long blonde eyelashes at him.  
  
"Yeah, we better get going too," Eric said, rising from the couch and offering Valera his hand.  
  
"I'll get Kayla's stuff," Calleigh said, stepping into the kitchen to retrieve the diaper bag.  
  
Valera kissed both babies gently before hugging Leanna goodnight. She followed the group into the kitchen and closed the door behind them. Stepping back into the living room, Leanna admired the sight before her. Tim, stretched out in his recliner; Nicholas, leaning against his father's chest, watching the ballgame intensely.  
  
"Well, we sure killed the mood," Leanna teased, sitting down on the couch.  
  
"Lauren Johansson killed the mood," Tim countered, "We had nothing to do with it."  
  
"I wonder what Lauren's going to have to say for herself tomorrow," Leanna wondered aloud.  
  
"Oh, I'll fill you in, don't worry," he answered, his tone grumpy, anticipating tomorrow's long day.  
  
TBC.... 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – Back to PG-13 for now.  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
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Tim tapped his foot nervously against the linoleum floor of the interrogation room. Horatio was to his left, calm and cool as always while they waited for Lauren's arrival. She'd been booked, fingerprinted, and now she was on the way to interrogation. The door opened with a creak and Tim jumped up, picking a spot against the opposite wall to stand.  
  
"What shall I call you?" Horatio asked sarcastically, tossing a file onto the table in front of Lauren and her attorney as they sat. "Julie, Lauren, do you have any other names?"  
  
Lauren shook her head weakly. "No," she answered quietly. "Lauren is fine."  
  
"Okay, Lauren," he began, peering at her over the bridge of his nose, "tell us what happened the night your parents were killed."  
  
"I'm sure Michelle already told you," Lauren dodged the question.  
  
"We'd like to hear your version," Tim said from his spot against the wall.  
  
Lauren glanced quickly at her lawyer, who nodded. "Michelle came in that night, argued with my father, and then I shot him," she answered coldly.  
  
"Why did you shoot him, Lauren?" Horatio asked.  
  
"For all the horrible things he did to Michelle. She tried to kill him, but she just couldn't," Lauren explained.  
  
"What about your mother?" Tim asked.  
  
"What about her?" Lauren asked curiously.  
  
"Well, she's dead," Tim said with just a hint of exasperation, "so, which one of you killed her?"  
  
The look Lauren gave Tim clearly said, 'you're a moron'. "I did," she answered, rolling her eyes. "What kind of detectives are you people?"  
  
"Well, see that's funny, Lauren," Horatio began, "that's what we thought too, but your sister has a different story to tell."  
  
"What?" she asked, shocked by Horatio's response.  
  
"She says that she killed your mother," he stated plainly.  
  
"No," she shook her head, "no, no, that's not right. I killed my parents. Me – Michelle was upstairs with Mikayla, she didn't see anything."  
  
"So, who do we believe, Lauren?" Tim asked curiously.  
  
"Me," she said emphatically, "you believe ME. Michelle has Mikayla, she needs to be able to take care of Mikayla."  
  
"Mikayla," Horatio said, "is being well taken care of, I promise you that. What we need to sort out now, is who killed your mother."  
  
"I did," she said again. "You have to believe me."  
  
"Oh, I believe you," he said. "Sit tight, we'll be back." He nodded at Tim, who followed Horatio into the hallway.  
  
"Get them together and see what happens?" Tim asked, voicing his boss' unspoken orders.  
  
Horatio nodded. "You got it, Speed."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Lauren!" Michelle exclaimed as she was led through the door of the interrogation room. She reached out to hug Lauren, but she pulled away, her eyes full of anger.  
  
"What have you done?" Lauren demanded, her voice dripping with fury.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Michelle asked innocently.  
  
Lauren shook her head. "Don't give me that. What is this crap-ass story you've been telling the cops? You aren't sticking to the plan, Michelle."  
  
"I told them the truth," Michelle said emphatically.  
  
"You don't know what the truth is, Michelle," Lauren screamed back. "I killed them!" Lauren crossed over to the one-way mirror and banged on the glass. "Do you hear me in there?" she screamed as Horatio and Tim watched from the other side. "I killed them!"  
  
"Well, this is interesting," Tim commented dryly, having taken a step back from the glass when Lauren began pounding on it.  
  
"I can think of other words," Horatio sighed.  
  
"Lauren!" Michelle cried, "Please stop." She stood and crossed over to the mirror, enveloping Lauren into a hug from behind. "Please stop," she pleased again as Lauren began crying too and collapsed onto the floor.  
  
Michelle soothed her sister as best she could, stroking Lauren's honey- blonde hair with her handcuffed hands.  
  
"I know you're trying to protect me," Lauren said. "But don't. I don't need protection. I've seen the evidence and I'm going to jail for a long, long time. They've got you as an accomplice. You could be out in ten years, Michelle. What difference is one more life sentence going to make for me?"  
  
Michelle shook her head violently. "No, no I won't let you do that," she sobbed.  
  
Lauren looked up at Michelle defiantly. "You don't have a choice. Keep telling your story, or stop. Doesn't matter," she sighed, standing and smoothing out her orange jumpsuit. "When I'm called to testify at your trial, the truth will come out."  
  
"I took the deal they offered," Michelle answered ruefully. "There won't be a trial."  
  
Lauren sank into a chair and sobbed. "What have you done, Chelle?" she asked, burying her face in her hands, "What have you done?"  
  
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"Michelle," Calleigh said gently, taking the younger woman's hand, "this is your last chance."  
  
Michelle wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked up at Calleigh and nodded. "I know, and I still stick to my story. I killed my mother for letting him rape me all those years and doing nothing about it. I'm ready to sign the papers."  
  
Calleigh's heart broke as she watched Michelle sign her life away, creating her signature on each line the district attorney indicated. The deal - for being an accessory to the murder of Michael Johansson, she would serve 10 years. For the murder of her mother, she would serve a life sentence. She would be eligible for parole when she was 63 years old. Mikayla would be 44 years old.  
  
Lauren accepted a similar deal, much to the team's chagrin. They had desperately wanted one of the girls to face trial, giving them another opportunity to reach the truth. This just felt empty - for all of them.  
  
"And the adoption papers?" Michelle asked, indicating the presence of Horatio and Calleigh's personal attorney.  
  
Jim Brooks stepped forward. "Michelle, this document releases you of your parental rights to Mikayla Rose Johansson," he said in a gentle Southern drawl. "And this one, assigns temporary guardianship of Mikayla to Horatio and Calleigh Caine, until such time as the formal adoption is approved by family court."  
  
"How long do you think that will take?" she asked curiously, signing the documents quickly.  
  
"Two to four months," he answered honestly. "And Horatio and Calleigh have asked me to remind you again, if you want to change your mind at any time during that time, you do have every right to do so."  
  
"Thank you," she said with a faint smile. "But, I know what I'm doing." She turned to Calleigh and took her hand. "I'd say you are going to be a great mother, Calleigh, but you already are."  
  
"I will take such good care of her," Calleigh promised fiercely, squeezing Michelle's hand. Michelle looked at her through teary eyes and laughed. "Don't you think I know that?" she asked. "If I didn't, you wouldn't be adopting her."  
  
Horatio knelt beside Michelle. "Michelle," he said quietly. "I think that you are, uh," his voice began to break as he spoke, "one of the bravest young women I have ever met. I will be honored to tell my daughter that you are her mother, as well as Calleigh."  
  
"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said softly. She turned to the district attorney and Mr. Brooks. "Is that it?" she asked, fighting back the sobs threatening to overtake her.  
  
The district attorney nodded. "That's it, Miss Johansson." He turned to the guard and nodded again. The guard crossed over to Michelle and placed the handcuffs on her wrists, then led her out of the room.  
  
Calleigh collapsed into Horatio's waiting arms, snaking her arms around his shoulders as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Shhh," he whispered half- heartedly, unable to fully console his wife when he was so close to losing it himself.  
  
"Let's go home," he finally said. "Let's go get our daughter and go home."  
  
Calleigh nodded and smiled weakly, wrapping her arm around his waist as he led her into the hallway. "That's the first time you've said that," she said with a faint laugh.  
  
"Well, I guess that I had better get used to it," he said, smiling back at her. "I'm a father now. Yes, I like the sound of that."  
  
"And I'm a mother now," Calleigh responded, tightening her arm around his waist.  
  
He stopped and turned to face her. Capturing her face with his hands, Horatio looked deep into his wife's eyes and kissed her gently. "I REALLY like the sound of that," he said.  
  
TBC.... 


	13. Chapter 13

Well, guys, this is the end of the story. I hope everyone has  
  
enjoyed it up to this point!  
  
So many thanks to Tessa, Nathalie, Melanie-Anne, Kelly and everyone else for their wonderful feedback and reviews. It means so much to me that you guys take time out of your day to read and review my stuff! You guys are wonderful!  
  
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Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do, however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.  
  
Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera  
  
Rating – Back to PG-13 for now.  
  
Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.  
  
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Epilouge - Three Months Later  
  
Tim chased a naked Nicholas down the hallway, desperately trying to retrieve his son before he peed on the carpet - again. Nicholas toddled into the kitchen, finding a hiding spot behind his mother's legs. Leanna took down and sighed. "Damn it, Tim."  
  
"I know, I know," he answered, lifting Nicholas up and tossing the boy over his shoulder. "He didn't pee on anything this time, I swear." Tim suddenly felt a warm wet spot developing on his shirt. "Christ, you say the word pee and this kid does it," he said irritably.  
  
Leanna swallowed a laugh, but was unable to stop a grin forming on her lips. "Better you than the carpet. I can clean you in a heartbeat, but cleaning the floor takes a while, and everyone will be here in one hour," she said, glancing at her watch.  
  
"I know, I know," Tim said a second time, carrying Nicholas back down the hallway. He laid Nicholas onto the changing table and stuck the diaper on quickly. "You are going to be the death of me, you know that?" Tim asked Nicholas, who only grinned a reply.  
  
He dressed Nicholas, putting the boy's socks and shoes on; then stood him on the floor. "Okay, kid, go nuts," Tim ordered, stepping past his son and into his bedroom. Nicholas toddled off down the hallway calling "Momma!" all the way.  
  
Tim unbuttoned his shirt and stripped the garment off, tossing it into a pile of dirty clothes hidden in the closet. He took another shirt out and began removing it from the hanger. Leanna stood in the doorway; beautiful in a black cotton v-neck maternity t-shirt and white capri pants. Her auburn hair was down, cascading over her shoulders, just the way he liked it. "What?" he asked when he noticed her grin. Nicholas hid behind her legs.  
  
Leanna looked down at Nicholas. "Go on," she said sternly, "Tell Daddy what you said."  
  
"Beer," Nicholas mumbled, taking shelter behind the wall where Tim couldn't see him. Tim stifled a laugh. "I swear to God, Lea, I didn't..."  
  
"Uh-huh," she cut him off, heading back down the hall with Nicholas in tow.  
  
"Lea?" he called out playfully, buttoning his shirt and tucking it into his jeans as he followed.  
  
"Don't even..." she laughed, swatting him on the chest when his arms circled her growing waist. "You are such a bad influence on our children."  
  
"I'm an even worse influence on you," he answered with a grin, pushing her hair away from her shoulder to kiss her neck.  
  
"Yes, you are," she laughed. She removed his hands from her waist. "Stop," she commanded. "We have work to do. Our son's first birthday only comes along once, and I'm not going to let you ruin it by trying to make out with me."  
  
"Slavedriver," he teased. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Get the cakes out and set them on the table," she ordered. "Then you can set up the video camera."  
  
Horatio knocked on the kitchen door and stuck his head inside. "Are we too early?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, get out of our way, Horatio," Calleigh ordered, pushing past her husband with Mikayla on her hip. "We practically live here. Where's Nick?"  
  
"In the pen," Tim answered, indicating the living room, where Nicholas had been cleverly boxed in using a couple of child-proof gates. "He's clean and we'd like to keep him that way."  
  
"Fat chance," Calleigh snorted, lifting Mikayla over the gate and setting her down on the floor. Kayla crawled away immediately in search of Nicholas.  
  
Nicholas toddled over to Calleigh and she lifted him up, peppering kisses over his face. "Hi ya, Birthday Boy, I can't believe you're a whole year old," she said wistfully, setting him back down. Kayla crawled over to him and pulled herself up.  
  
"Aw, how cute!" Calleigh exclaimed, watching the children together. "They're kissing!"  
  
Tim rounded the corner with unbelievable speed, frowning at his son. Kayla's mouth was on Nicholas's cheek and he was holding her up. "Looks like your daughter has got a thing for my son," he teased.  
  
"Oh shut up," Calleigh shot back, punching Tim in the arm. "Your son has had a thing for my daughter since day one."  
  
"Next thing you know we'll be hosting an engagement party instead of a birthday slash adoption day party," Tim said with a grin.  
  
"My daughter's not marrying anyone with the last name Speedle," Calleigh said, glaring at Tim. "No matter how cute he is," she added defiantly.  
  
Tim crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, we'll just see about that won't we?" he challenged.  
  
The End...  
  
Or To Be Continued, whichever you prefer...when Nick and Kayla are of an appropriate age to be making such life-altering decisions, of course. 


End file.
